National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Proclamation 17 December 2016

   Morrill Worcester was a 12-year-old paperboy for the Bangor Daily News when he won a trip to Washington, D.C. His first trip was to Arlington National Cemetery and it made an impression on him that he would never forget. In 1992, the Worcester Wreath Company, which he owns, found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. He remembered his experience at Arlington.  
    With that experience, he had an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans. With the help of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for him to place the wreaths in an older section of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year. Throughout his life and successful career, 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. Thus began the legacy of placing wreaths at the graves of our veterans.

    As we pause in the midst of this holiday season and reflect, please take a moment to think back on things that are important in our lives today. We must reflect on our families and friends, and our country. We must continue to honor our current military veterans and those veterans who have already served. We must continue to thank our veterans for their service that allows us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.

    The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution are descendants of our first veterans, who fought for our War for American Independence from Britain. We celebrate and honor those brave men and women, who have given the upmost measure of devotion and sacrifice so that we can live free. We have had many foreign threats to our country and we have always called on our military to protect us. They have always responded no matter where the threats were from.

    At National Cemeteries across this great this country, Wreaths across America ceremonies are just a small token to say thank you to those brave men and women, and to remember those who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms and liberties. When you place a wreath for a relative or a friend, remember those other veterans who are buried in our cemeteries across this country who no longer have anyone to visit their graves or who remembers them.

    The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution proudly participates in this program by honoring our veterans who have passed away. We say thank you to all of our veterans and to those participating in the program today. May God continue to bless America.

J. Michael Tomme, Sr.

President General, 2016-2017