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Thursday, December 7, 2006
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
Morrill Worcester: "I'm not a great American. I'm a grateful American."
Noon, today: Wreath-laying ceremonies at veterans' cemeteries and monuments in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Sunday: A 53-foot-tractor trailer full of wreaths will leave for Arlington National Cemetery, Va., with an escort of Patriot Guard Riders. Dec. 14 Volunteers will lay more than 5,000 wreaths on headstones.
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HARRINGTON - They say money grows on trees in eastern Maine, where balsam fir branches are transformed into hundreds of thousands of Christmas wreaths worth millions of dollars each holiday season.
For Morrill Worcester, owner of the state's largest wreath company, the season is more about heart than money. This month, for the 15th year, he'll send a truckload of 5,000 wreaths to be placed on gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.
Worcester, 56, never served in the military. But he feels the need to show his appreciation to the nation's veterans.
Every day, people contact him to give thanks. Some call him a "great American"; Worcester says that's ridiculous.
"I'm not a great American. I'm a grateful American," Worcester said in a humble voice.
This year, Worcester has expanded his sights. Besides sending wreaths to Arlington, he is spearheading wreath-laying ceremonies at close to 230 veterans' cemeteries and monuments in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. All told, he's donating nearly 8,000 wreaths.
On Thursday, at noon Eastern time, the ceremonies will be held in unison to remember the fallen and to honor those who have served in the nation's armed forces.
The wreaths are made at Worcester Wreath Co.'s four plants here in the northeast corner of the country, where 600 workers are busy making and packing wreaths.
Walk into any of Worcester's plants and you'll be overwhelmed by the intoxicating fragrance of balsam that's thick in the air. This year, his company will ship more than 500,000 wreaths and other holiday greenery. Most of the products are sold through L.L. Bean.
In eastern Maine, hundreds of local and migrant workers supplement their incomes for two months a year by making and packing wreaths or by "tipping," the practice of snapping off the tree branch tips that are used to make the wreaths. The best of the wreath-makers, their hands working at blurring speed, can make 130 to 150 wreaths per day.
Worcester's donations began in 1992 after he found himself with an extra 5,000 wreaths in mid-December - too late to bring them to market.
His mind turned to Arlington National Cemetery, which he had visited when he was 12 after winning a trip to Washington from his paper delivery route. The image had stuck with him all those years, and he came up with the idea of a wreath-laying ceremony.
He contacted the office of Sen. Olympia Snowe to help make arrangements. Bluebird Ranch Trucking Co. in nearby Jonesboro agreed to haul the wreaths for free.
That first year, Worcester and a handful of volunteers placed the wreaths on row after row of white headstones and held a brief ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There was little fanfare and little press coverage.
Every December since, Worcester has been on hand as the event has grown to hundreds of volunteers and more elaborate ceremonies.
This year, Worcester's wife, Karen, came up with the idea for Wreaths Across America to expand upon the success at Arlington.
Her eyes well up when she talks about the 7,000 to 8,000 e-mails, letters and phone calls the company has gotten this year. Many callers are so choked up they can barely talk. Many have family or friends serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It's so emotional it's unbelievable," she said.
On Sunday, volunteers will load up a 53-foot tractor-trailer with a Wreaths Across America logo on its side. When the truck pulls out, it will be accompanied by members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a national group of motorcycle riders that works to recognize veterans.
Depending on the weather, between 50 and 200 Patriot Guard members are expected to accompany the wreath-filled truck on motorcycles and in cars along the entire 770-mile journey from Maine to the gates of Arlington National Cemetery.
One of the riders will be Scott Deal, a former Marine from Brooklyn.
"It's absolutely phenomenal," Deal said. "He's doing this at his own expense, he's using his own people. And he's taking the time to educate people on why he's doing it."
On a recent day, as Morrill worked to plan the Wreaths Across America ceremonies, he got a call from a veteran in Houston who wanted to thank him.
"To thank me - it's totally backward," Worcester said afterward. "He's the one we should be thanking."
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Thanks again to the Worcester'sreport abuse
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