The Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake will be one of many sites across the country that will adorn its gravestones with wreaths for the annual Wreaths Across America, Dec. 17.
The cemetery will begin its ceremony at noon. Rudy Lopez, director of the facility, said 1,470 wreaths — 20 more than their goal — will be delivered to the cemetery for this year’s ceremony. Last year, volunteers laid 1,200 wreaths across the facility.
“The intent is to continue to honor those who served and those who sacrificed,” Lopez said. “It’s also a good opportunity for families to teach their children about the sacrifice the men and women make to allow us to enjoy the freedoms we have.”
According to its website, Wreaths Across America began in 1992 when the Worcester Wreath Company, in Harrington, Maine found itself with a surplus of wreaths at the end of the holidays. Morrill Worcester, owner of the company, remembered a trip he took to the Arlington Ceremony in Washington D.C. and the impression it left on him. He realized he had an opportunity to honor the veterans who were interned there.
Arrangements were made to deliver and place the wreaths in a section of the cemetery that received fewer visitors each year. Over the years, individuals and organizations stepped up to make the event a quiet, annual tradition until 2005 when photos of Arlington stones with wreaths on them spread across the Internet.
After requests from other cemeteries across the United States started coming in, Worchester began shipping seven wreaths — one to honor each military branch — to the facilities.
In 2007, Worchester’s family, veterans and volunteers formed the non-profit organization Wreaths Across America. The organization has over 1,100 participating agencies, including the Veterans Cemetery. Last year, the Worcester Wreath Company shipped 900,000 wreaths to 1,800 locations.
Joyce Durrant, chapter coordinator for the organization, said the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Washington State Veterans Cemetery chapter, along with a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, joined Wreaths Across America to honor veterans in Eastern Washington in 2010. Every year, these groups and others raise money to purchase the wreaths, which are $15 each, for the Veterans Cemetery.
Durrant confirmed that Fred Fossett, who delivered the wreaths to the Veterans Cemetery last year, will once again make the trip from his home in Sedona, Ariz., to Maine to pick up the pallets and bring them to the facility. Fossett is one of 320 truck drivers that deliver the wreaths to the facilities.
“The volunteer truckers do this on their own time and money,” Durrant said.
After the ceremony is finished, families and volunteers will go through the cemetery and lay the wreaths on the gravestones. Lopez said he expecting at least 100 people, though it could be as many as 300, depending on the weather.
“It’s really what draws people to come out,” Lopez said. “They will brave the bitter cold to honor the men and women who served. For 6-8 weeks, we had a number of calls with people wanting to volunteer.”
Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].
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