by David Slifer

During Christmas break, an annual tradition took place at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC. This event occurs on the third Saturday of December each year and it is a time when, across the country, people travel to lay wreaths on the gravestones of fallen soldiers and fallen veterans. This event has been going on since 1992, when Morrill Worchester, founder of the Worchester Wreath Company, had a load of wreaths that had not been sold. He had the idea to lay the extra wreaths on veteran gravestones, which is how this tradition started, and it has only grown bigger since then. 

Up in Arlington, there are trucks full of wreaths, and people are split into groups to help distribute them to the public. People then go to lay the wreaths on a gravestone. Some people will lay them on specific graves, as they might have a similarity with place of birth or branch of the military, but there is one goal that this organization has. All that they want to make sure they do is put a wreath on every grave.  

Having had the opportunity to not only get to place some of the wreaths myself, but also volunteer and help distribute them to the public, I think that goal was made this past year. Once the event was finished, I walked around the cemetery, and from what I remember, I did not see one gravestone without a wreath. 

Many organizations help make this day possible with trucks full of wreaths that were donated and placed. Arlington is not a small place, so knowing that we had enough supplies to make that day happen was great. 

If you ever get the chance to attend this event, do it. It is an experience that is humbling and unique. Not only participating in this but getting to visit Arlington itself is a valuable experience that you may not truly understand until you have been there.