Romulus to honor veterans during Wreaths Across America
The tradition began in 1992 when Worcester Wreath found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington, owner Morrill Worcester realized he had an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans. With the aid of Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe (ret), arrangements were made for the surplus wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older cemetery sections that had been receiving fewer visitors each passing year.
For more than a decade, the annual wreath tribute went on quietly and privately. Everything changed in 2005, when a photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated around the internet. Suddenly, the homespun tribute from a small town in downeast Maine was receiving national attention. Thousands of requests poured in from all over the country from people wanting to help purchase and lay wreaths at Arlington. Thousands more wanted to emulate the Arlington project at their local National and State cemeteries
Unable to donate thousands of wreaths to each state, Worcester began sending seven wreaths to every state: One for each branch of the military and an additional wreath to pay tribute to POW/MIAs. In 2006, with the help of the Civil Air Patrol and other civic organizations, simultaneous wreath-laying ceremonies were held at more than 150 locations around the country.
In 2007, the Worcester family, along with the support of veterans organizations and a variety of other groups and individuals who had helped with their annual veterans wreath ceremony in Arlington, formed Wreaths Across America, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, to continue and expand this effort, and support others around the country who wanted to do the same.
The wreath-laying that began more than 30 years ago still takes place annually, on the second or third Saturday of December.
In 2024, more than three million sponsored veterans' wreaths were placed on headstones of our nation's service members at 4,909 participating locations. More than four million volunteers helped place wreaths, a third of whom were children. This was accomplished with the support of more than 7,400 sponsorship groups, corporate contributions, and in-kind donations from the transportation industry across the country.
Organizers from Romulus said donations to fund wreaths for the local ceremony are needed.
Wreaths are priced at $17 each and donations to purchase one or more can be made through Romulus VFW #9568's Page at: https://wreathsacrossamerica.
Order forms are also available at Romulus Public Library and will be accepted at the Community Development Office in Romulus City Hall, 11111 Wayne Road, Romulus.
More information is available at (734) 955-4539 or jhobbs@romulusgov.com.
