By Sarah Stephens
Photos by EAN and Michael Gay
“To be killed in war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst that can happen… to be forgotten is the worst.”
— Pierre Claeyssens (1909-2003)
This morning, American Heritage Girls from Troop AL-0125 joined with veterans, officials and families to pay honor and remembrance to Veterans who served their country but have since passed away.
The respectful and moving ceremony was held at Brookside Cemetery and Memorial Gardens in Millbrook with a large attendance.
Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley thanked everyone for attending the ceremony, and particularly the American Heritage Girls for their continued service.
“I think the show of respect here is remarkable, and it truly moves me,” Kelley said.
American Heritage Girls presented the ceremony, with officials speaking on the importance of remembering all Veterans that are buried across the cemetery. It is not their branch of service, the time they served, or how they died, but the fact they once served their country.
Afterwards, over 500 wreaths were laid on the graves of veterans from our area.
Millbrook Presbyterian Church interim Pastor Bill Clark began the ceremony with a prayer, followed by the presentation of Colors, a flag folding demonstration with the explanation of each fold, and wreaths placed in honor of all branches of service by official guests.
The presenting guests included Colonel Dale Bain, Sgt. Eric Witherington, Sgt. Robert Fell, Major Richard Myer, Marcia Macios, former 1st Lt. Suzanne Summers, retired Captain Mike Jeffries, and Abigail Sumner, American Heritage Girls Stars and Stripes recipient, for 81,500 service members from all branches whose status is either PWO or MIA.
Then the girls, their directors, officials, families and attendees scattered throughout the large cemetery to place wreaths on veterans’ final resting place. Everyone was reminded to speak the veteran’s name as they laid the wreath, to show they are remembered.
Millbrook Council President Michael Gay placed a wreath on former, longtime Council member Joe Lott. “He not only served his country, but continued to serve his community until the end of his life. Our nation and our community are grateful for Joe Lott. We absolutely remember him,” Gay said.
A shining point of the ceremony was not to focus on how each veteran died, but rather how they lived.
How did Wreaths Across America begin?
From the Wreaths Across America website:
Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12-year-old paper boy when he won a trip to Washington D.C. It was his first to our nation’s capital and one that would change the trajectory of his life and the lives of millions of others across the country. Seeing the hundreds of thousands of graves and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible impression on him. It was to be an experience that would follow him throughout his life and successful career, reminding him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of his nation and the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
In 1992, Worcester Wreath found themselves with 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 Maine Senator 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.
As plans were underway to transport the wreaths to Washington, a number of other individuals and organizations stepped up to help. James Prout, owner of local trucking company Blue Bird Ranch, Inc., generously provided transportation all the way to Virginia. Volunteers from the local American Legion and VFW Posts gathered with members of the community to decorate 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.
For over a decade, this annual 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 down east 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. Still others simply desired to share their stories and thank Morrill Worcester for honoring our nation’s heroes. Many were surviving family members of some of those heroes.
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 over 150 locations around the country.
The annual trip to Arlington and the groups of volunteers eager to participate in Worcester’s simple wreath-laying event grew each year until it became clear that the desire to remember and honor our country’s fallen heroes was bigger than he could have imagined possible at the outset. The movement had grown beyond Arlington and bigger than this one company in Harrington, Maine.
In 2007, the Worcester family, along with the support of veterans’ organizations and a variety of other groups and individuals 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 simple mission of the organization was established:
Just one year later, over 300 locations held wreath-laying ceremonies in every state, Puerto Rico and 24 overseas cemeteries. Over 100,000 wreaths were placed on veterans’ graves. Over 60,000 volunteers participated. And that year, December 13, 2008, was unanimously voted by the United States Congress as “Wreaths Across America Day.”
The wreath-laying that began more than 30 years ago is still held annually on the second or third Saturday of December.
Wreaths Across America is committed to teaching all generations about the value of their freedoms, and the importance of honoring those who sacrificed so much to protect those freedoms. In 2022, the organization launched its expanded TEACH program and collaboration with like-minded organizations focused on character development and service projects for young people of all ages, with lesson plans for all grade levels and learning abilities.
Wreaths Across America would not be successful without the help of volunteers, active organizations and the generosity of the trucking industry, which offer invaluable support to WAA’s mission to remember the men and women who served our country, honor our military and their families, and teach our children about our freedom and those who protect it.
What does it mean to Remember, Honor, and Teach?
While we have Veterans Day in the fall and Memorial Day in the spring, our servicemen and women sacrifice their time and safety every single day of the year, to preserve our freedoms. In many American homes, every day there is an empty seat for one who is serving or one who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and never came home. That is why the Wreaths Across America mission to Remember, Honor and Teach lasts all year long, far beyond the single day in December when we coordinate wreath-laying ceremonies. All throughout the year, Wreaths Across America works in several ways to show our veterans and their families that we will not forget—we will never forget.
