Over 30 years ago, Morrill Worcester of the Worcester Wreath Company in Maine had a surplus of wreaths at the end of the holiday season. Inspired by a childhood visit to Washington, DC, he decided to place these wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery. This gesture has since evolved into a nationwide effort known as Wreaths Across America, which aims to remember fallen soldiers, honor those who serve, and educate future generations about the cost of freedom.
The Civil Air Patrol has supported this initiative from its inception. This year, the Knox County Airport Cadet Flight, the newest unit in Ohio's Civil Air Patrol - Ohio Wing, participated alongside over 4 million volunteers at more than 5,000 locations across the country. On December 13th, eleven cadets and seven adult members joined dozens from the general public to lay over 275 wreaths on veteran graves at Mound View Cemetery in Mt. Vernon.
1st Lt John Morgan, Public Affairs Officer for the unit, said: "Our cadets and adult members take this opportunity seriously to honor those who gave so much and that are no longer with us to celebrate the holiday season with their families. They are not forgotten."
More information about Wreaths Across America can be found here.
Civil Air Patrol was founded in 1941 and became an official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force seven years later. Chartered by Congress as a nonprofit organization focused on youth development and aerospace education, it operates a large fleet of single-engine aircraft for various missions including search and rescue and disaster relief.
Visit CAP.news or GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more details about Civil Air Patrol.
Information from this article can be found here.
