Volunteers needed for Arlington National Cemetery wreath laying
ARLINGTON, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - One million wreaths are on their way to Arlington National Cemetery, and the Wreaths Across America is looking for more volunteers to lay them on graves honoring our nation's fallen veterans.
The annual ceremony will be held on Saturday, Dec. 15.
The "Wreaths Across America" convoy departed Saturday from Columbia Falls, Maine, where the wreaths are made, and will stop at schools, memorials and veteran group gatherings along the 740-mile journey to Arlington, Virginia.
Bre Kingsbury of Wreaths Across America says they still need about 25,000 wreath sponsorships before Saturday.
"We know that for a Gold Star Family member, every day is Memorial Day for them and we understand that at the holidays, it's an especially difficult time with an empty seat at the table all year round," said Kingsbury. "The holidays, it can be especially tough. So that wreath really is a symbol that shows them that they are not forgotten and that their loved one is not forgotten."
There is more than 400,000 people buried at Arlington National Cemetery and the organization wants to place 253,000 veterans' wreaths for every marker in the cemetery and one at each of the columbarium columns.
Last year, more than 75,000 volunteers gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to participate in the event. The U.S. Army is recommending volunteers to use Metro to get to the cemetery.
"What we are asking is that the public recognizes that and that they use all four entrances here into the cemetery," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Karl Sonderman. "So this is our main entrance on Memorial Avenue. This is where most people will come off the Metro. We are also asking you to arrive at our north entrance and also our south entrance to the cemetery."
More than 1.5 million wreaths were placed at more than 1,400 other locations across the country.
This will be the 27th year that wreaths will be placed at Arlington National Cemetery - a tradition that dates back to 1992. It began when Maine wreath maker Morrill Worcester donated 5,000 wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery.
If you have any questions or you want to contact Wreaths Across America, call (877) 385-9504. For more information online, go to: