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Continue ReadingMorrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12 year old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News when he won a trip to Washington D.C. His first trip to our nation’s capital was one he would never forget, and Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible impression on him. This experience followed him throughout his life and successful career, reminding him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of this nation and the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. In 1992, Worcester Wreath found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington, Worcester realized he had an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans. With the aid of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year. As plans were underway, a number of other individuals and organizations stepped up to help. James Prout, owner of local trucking company Blue Bird Ranch, Inc., generously provided transportation all the way to Virginia. Volunteers from the local American Legion and VFW Posts gathered with members of the community to decorate each wreath with traditional red, hand-tied bows. Members of the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C. helped to organize the wreath-laying, which included a special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The annual tribute went on quietly for several years, until 2005, when a photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated around the internet. Suddenly, the project received national attention. Thousands of requests poured in from all over the country from people wanting to help with Arlington, to emulate the Arlington project at their National and State cemeteries, or to simply share their stories and thank Morrill Worcester for honoring our nation’s heroes. – Wreaths Across America
Continue ReadingWhether in the snow, rain, cold or heat, the Caisson Platoon is out in Arlington National Cemetery for funerals every day, Mondays through Fridays, except federal holidays, or in the case of dangerous weather or other emergencies. Using a caisson is steeped in tradition and history, going back to the day when field artillerymen used the caissons to transport 75mm cannon ammunition. The caissons, which were built in 1918, now carry the remains of those who served the nation with honor and distinction. Those eligible for a caisson at a military funeral at Arlington include warrant officers and sergeants major, officers of all ranks, those killed in action, valorous award recipients including those who received the Medal of Honor, U.S. presidents, and other special designees. A caisson team consists of seven horses and four riders. Three of the horses hitched to the caisson are unmounted, because the field artillerymen of the day used the off-side horses to carry additional gear. A departed Army or Marine Corps officer in the rank of colonel or above is also afforded the honor of having a caparisoned, or riderless, horse. The horse is led behind the caisson by a member of the platoon. Here, a caisson team moves past section 57 at Arlington National Cemetery as captured by the @arlingtonmedia team. Words: US Army Caisson Team
Continue ReadingWhether in the snow, rain, cold or heat, the Caisson Platoon is out in Arlington National Cemetery for funerals every day, Mondays through Fridays, except federal holidays, or in the case of dangerous weather or other emergencies. Using a caisson is steeped in tradition and history, going back to the day when field artillerymen used the caissons to transport 75mm cannon ammunition. The caissons, which were built in 1918, now carry the remains of those who served the nation with honor and distinction. Those eligible for a caisson at a military funeral at Arlington include warrant officers and sergeants major, officers of all ranks, those killed in action, valorous award recipients including those who received the Medal of Honor, U.S. presidents, and other special designees. A caisson team consists of seven horses and four riders. Three of the horses hitched to the caisson are unmounted, because the field artillerymen of the day used the off-side horses to carry additional gear. A departed Army or Marine Corps officer in the rank of colonel or above is also afforded the honor of having a caparisoned, or riderless, horse. The horse is led behind the caisson by a member of the platoon. Here, a caisson team moves past section 57 at Arlington National Cemetery as captured by the @arlingtonmedia team. Words: US Army Caisson Team
Continue ReadingArlington Estate was established by George Washington’s adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, to be a living memorial to the first president. Custis’s daughter, Mary, married U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Robert E. Lee in 1831. When he died, Custis left the estate to his daughter Mary Custis Lee for the duration of her life, and upon her death, her eldest son would inherit the property. Robert E. Lee served as the executor of his father-in-law’s will and never owned the property After the Lees abandoned the property at the start of the Civil War, the U.S. Army seized Arlington Estate on the morning of May 24, 1861 to defend Washington, D.C. From the property’s heights, rifled artillery could range every federal building in the nation’s capital. The estate was seized not to punish the Custis-Lee family, but rather for its strategic value. Three forts were built on the property during the Civil War: Fort Cass/Rosslyn, Fort Whipple/Fort Myer and Fort McPherson (currently Section 11 of the cemetery). Beginning in June 1863, a large Freedman’s Village, established for freed and escaped slaves, was established in what today are Sections 3, 4, 8, 18 and 20. On May 13, 1864, the first military burial was conducted for Private William Christman. Brigadier General Montgomery Meigs, Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army, who was responsible for the burial of soldiers, ordered Arlington Estate used for a cemetery. The existing D.C.-area national cemeteries (Soldiers’ Home and Alexandria National Cemeteries) were running out of space — both closed on the day that burials began at Arlington. Arlington officially became a national cemetery on June 15, 1864, by order of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The original cemetery was 200 acres, and has since grown to 639 acres (as of early 2020). Today, approximately 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Service members from every one of America’s major wars, from the Revolutionary War to today’s conflicts, are interred at ANC. As a result, the history of our nation is reflected on the grounds of the cemetery.
Continue ReadingArlington Estate was established by George Washington’s adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, to be a living memorial to the first president. Custis’s daughter, Mary, married U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Robert E. Lee in 1831. When he died, Custis left the estate to his daughter Mary Custis Lee for the duration of her life, and upon her death, her eldest son would inherit the property. Robert E. Lee served as the executor of his father-in-law’s will and never owned the property After the Lees abandoned the property at the start of the Civil War, the U.S. Army seized Arlington Estate on the morning of May 24, 1861 to defend Washington, D.C. From the property’s heights, rifled artillery could range every federal building in the nation’s capital. The estate was seized not to punish the Custis-Lee family, but rather for its strategic value. Three forts were built on the property during the Civil War: Fort Cass/Rosslyn, Fort Whipple/Fort Myer and Fort McPherson (currently Section 11 of the cemetery). Beginning in June 1863, a large Freedman’s Village, established for freed and escaped slaves, was established in what today are Sections 3, 4, 8, 18 and 20. On May 13, 1864, the first military burial was conducted for Private William Christman. Brigadier General Montgomery Meigs, Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army, who was responsible for the burial of soldiers, ordered Arlington Estate used for a cemetery. The existing D.C.-area national cemeteries (Soldiers’ Home and Alexandria National Cemeteries) were running out of space — both closed on the day that burials began at Arlington. Arlington officially became a national cemetery on June 15, 1864, by order of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The original cemetery was 200 acres, and has since grown to 639 acres (as of early 2020). Today, approximately 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Service members from every one of America’s major wars, from the Revolutionary War to today’s conflicts, are interred at ANC. As a result, the history of our nation is reflected on the grounds of the cemetery.
