“America’s Longest Veterans’ Parade” escorting remembrance wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery
With the help of thousands of volunteers, Wreaths Across America (WAA) is working to fulfill its mission to Remember, Honor, and Teach through the annual laying of wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and at more than 4,000 locations across the country.
The wreaths’ journey to Arlington begins in Harrington, ME on Sunday December 10th and has become a tradition in itself, allowing locals along the route to share in the emotional and educational experience as the WAA convoy passes through their hometown.
On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, the parade of wreaths will be traveling from a stop in Groton, CT to Southbury, CT, where there will be a community remembrance ceremony at 9:00am at the Southbury Veterans Memorial Park (between Town Hall and Senior Center). The convoy and its escorts will be welcomed to Southbury by local dignitaries, first responders, as well as local members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. The ceremony will be hosted by American Legion Post 147.
This year, the escort to Arlington will consist of over 50 vehicles including tractor-trailer trucks, SUVs and escort vehicles with approximately 53 volunteers, including Morrill and Karen Worcester, Wreaths Across America’s founder and executive director (respectively), American Gold Star Families, active and retired military members, and Patriot Guard Riders.
The stop in Southbury is one of approximately 12 visits to schools, veterans’ homes, monuments and communities along the East Coast that the convoy will make during its weeklong voyage from Harrington, Maine, to Arlington, Virginia.
On Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, the convoy will be met in Arlington by thousands of volunteers who will place wreaths for the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of our country, ensuring no one is forgotten.
Follow Wreaths Across America on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WAAHQ and on Twitter at twitter.com/WreathsAcross.
About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission, Remember, Honor, Teach, is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies each December at Arlington, as well as at hundreds of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information, to donate or to sign up to volunteer, please visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.
