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Cover Story fHHHHf 4?v ' ■ "tllljfr ‘-jv&V' -raa*; teHal W • America's f : ' ' *'. *! c jtp heroes » M bv TRACY LEINBERGER- Wreath rroiect az^. On a cold December day, a crowd of more thin I,(KK) volunteers—from civilians and soldiers to toddlers and senior citizens—waits quietly, sol emnly at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. In tlx- distance they hear the low rumble of a tractor-trailer filled with 5,000 wreaths as it bursts through the morn ings dense tug making its way toward tlu-m. As tlx- trailer comes to a stop, it marks the completion of a 750-mile journey from Harrington, Maine (pop. 882), to Arlington, where volunteers prepare to honor out nation's deputed heroes by adorning their graves with wreaths. An idea is born The creator of the annual holiday tribute is Mor rill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Co. in Harrington. In 1992, his company was constructing a second wreath factory and he knew from past experi ence that area artisans would stop by the construction site to offer their homemade wreaths tor stile. Wortes- BgjLh liK. |M»> s JHp « A truck filled with wreaths donated by Morrill Worcester (right) arrives at Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery. ter thought he might need the extra wreaths, so he instructed his carpenters to buy any of the holiday ornaments that artisans brought by. “1 had forgotten all about it until Monday, Dec. 10, when a carpenter asked me what 1 wanted him to do with all the wreaths. I didn’t need them!" says Worcester, 56, with a laugh. “It was t<x> late in the season, but they were nice, fresh wreaths, so I tlxxight of Arlington.” Worcester first visited Arlington National Cemetery when he was 12 years old. As a paperboy, he won a trip as part of a contest that rewarded his outstanding - sales efforts. More than 40 years later, he still can recall tlx feeling that flooded over him when he looked out (Continued on page 18) Page 14 •www.am ericanprofi le.com