Members of the Roanoke Valley Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution hosted a
Wreaths Across America ceremony at Mountain View Cemetery in Vinton on Dec. 13. This was
their first year to hold the event at Mountain View.
According to Regent Susan Doyle, Wreaths Across America is a national nonprofit organization
founded in 2007 to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington
National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman and wreath-maker Morrill Worcester in 1992.
The group coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies in December at thousands of participating
locations in all 50 states and beyond.
Wreaths Across America’s mission is: to REMEMBER the fallen; HONOR those who serve;
and TEACH the next generation about the true cost of freedom.
Wreaths Across America is now made up of more than 4,900 participating locations across the
country run by dedicated volunteers looking to share that mission to Remember, Honor, and
Teach, through annual wreath-laying ceremonies each December and awareness and education
events throughout the year.
Once again this year, Congress passed a unanimous resolution proclaiming Dec. 13, 2025, as
National Wreaths Across America Day.
According to the “Wreaths Across America” website, “Morrill Worcester was a 12-year-old
paperboy when he won a trip to Washington, D.C. He will never forget his first trip to our
nation’s capital, and Arlington National Cemetery made an indelible impression on him. This
experience followed him throughout his life and successful career as a wreath maker, reminding
him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of this nation and the veterans who
made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
“In 1992, Worcester had a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season.
Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington, Worcester realized he had an opportunity to
honor our country’s veterans. With the aid of former Maine Senator Olympia Snowe,
arrangements were made for wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the
cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.
“Several other individuals and organizations stepped up to help as plans were underway. Blue
Bird Ranch, Inc. generously provided transportation to Virginia. Volunteers from the local
American Legion and VFW Posts gathered with community members to adorn each wreath with traditional red, hand-tied bows. Members of the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C.,
helped to organize the wreath laying, which included a special ceremony at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier.
The annual tribute continued quietly until 2005, when a photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned
with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated the web. Suddenly, the project received national
attention. Thousands of requests poured in from people wanting to help with Arlington, to
emulate the Arlington project at their National and State cemeteries, or to share their stories and
thank Worcester for honoring the nation’s heroes.
Unable to donate thousands of wreaths to each state, Worcester sent seven wreaths to every state,
one for each military branch and one for POW/MIA. In 2006, with the help of the Civil Air
Patrol and other civic organizations, simultaneous wreath-laying ceremonies were held at over
150 locations nationwide.
In 2007, the Worcester family, along with veterans and other groups and individuals who had
helped with their annual veterans’ wreath ceremony in Arlington, formed Wreaths Across
America.
In 2023, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers placed over 3 million
veterans’ wreaths at 4,225 participating locations in the United States and beyond. This feat was
accomplished with help from three million plus volunteers across the country, a third of whom
were children.
There are over well over 800 veterans laid to rest in Mountain View Cemetery. In this first year
of participation, DAR members and volunteers placed wreaths transported to Vinton from Maine
on the graves of 11 specific veterans with a connection to the DAR, and on several others around
the cemetery marked as graves of veterans. Ceremonial wreaths were placed near the entrance to
the cemetery representing each branch of service. They chose the date of Dec. 13 to coordinate
with the same day wreaths were being placed at Arlington National Cemetery.
Those placing the wreaths were asked by the Wreaths Across America organization, according to
their guidelines, to say the name of the veteran aloud afterwards.
“A person dies twice. The first time when life leaves their body, and the second time when their
name is spoken for the last time. Today, as you place wreaths, we ask you to say each name out
loud.”
The DAR hopes this will become an annual event in Vinton.
“Let’s continue to work together to make sure that every veteran is remembered,” Doyle said.
