Trucking Fleets Haul Thousands of Wreaths to Honor Veterans During Holiday Season

This story appears in the Dec. 24 & 31 print edition of Transport Topics.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Trucking companies participating in the annual “Wreaths Across America Day” hauled thousands of Christmas wreaths that will lie on veterans’ headstones during the holiday season.

A convoy of 34 tractor-trailers pulled up to Arlington National Cemetery, the nation’s most distinguished military resting place, on Dec. 15.

Called “Escort to Arlington,” the convoy started in Harrington, Maine, where the wreaths were donated, and made stops along the East Coast at veterans’ cemeteries, schools and churches before arriving here.

That same day, similar remembrances took place at more than 800 veterans’ cemeteries around the United States.

“We just drove the truck,” Marcena Phillips, who came with husband, Carl, in a truck provided by Oakhurst Dairy of Portland, Maine, told Transport Topics here. “These guys here are the real heroes,” she said, referring to the fallen troops.

About 110,000 wreaths were delivered to Arlington National Cemetery — 20,000 more than last year — according to the Truckload Carriers Association, which organized the event.

“All of us feel it is our honor and privilege to be able to show our respect by hauling the wreaths for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country,” said TCA President Chris Burruss.

American Trucking Associations helped secure transportation for the event and even delivered wreaths in the ATA “Share the Road” truck. It was driven by Jerry Charron, a Marine Corps veteran who drives for Con-way Freight.

Charron said the wreaths are “the most precious cargo we can haul in our trailers.”

First-year participant Michael Waters, an Army veteran and driver with Kennesaw Transportation Inc. in Rydal, Ga., was the first to lay one of the wreaths he drove down from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery.

“It means a great deal to me. I know for a fact that I have a lot of friends residing here,” Waters said.

The tradition of laying wreaths at Arlington started in 1992, when Worcester Wreath Co. owner Morrill Worcester decided to donate leftover wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery. A photo of snow-covered gravesites with the wreaths led to an outpouring of support for the cause, and in 2005, the nonprofit Wreaths Across America was created.

Donations this year included Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Hoover, Ala., where for the first time all 520 headstones received a wreath because of a contribution from trucking software company McLeod Software.

“I was so amazed when I got the email from the Wreaths Across America office that a Birmingham company had come forward with this huge contribution,” said Marynell Winslow, a Gold Star Mother, meaning she lost a child to service. “This donation by McLeod Software is truly an act of patriotism and respect for these veterans. We are very grateful.”

In Missouri, Prime Inc., based in Springfield, partnered with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for an escort throughout the state and delivered wreaths to the Springfield National Cemetery.

“We are honored to be able to pay tribute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. Because of them, we have our freedom,” said Robert Low, president of Prime Inc. and chairman of TCA.

Schneider National Inc., Green Bay, Wis., delivered almost 10,000 wreaths to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, in addition to the 5,000 it brought to Arlington in its military-themed truck, the Ride of Pride.

U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Chattanooga, Tenn., was among the large number of fleets that also participated in the event. The company said driver Ted Wilson traveled more than 1,400 miles from Maine to the National Cemetery in Chattanooga. Along the route, he made several stops in West Virginia and Tennessee.