Remember. Honor. Teach. Group remembers war dead with wreaths

Like most good ideas, this one began with a problem.

In 1992, the owner of a wreath company in Maine found himself with a surplus near the end of the Christmas season.

What to do?

Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company, decided he would use the wreaths to decorate the most inspirational place he saw as a boy: Arlington National Cemetery.

With the help of a senator, he made arrangements to decorate an older section of the cemetery, one with fewer visitors every year. A local trucking company heard about the effort and donated transportation for the wreaths. American Legion and VFW posts volunteered to make red bows. And the Maine State Society helped to lay the wreaths.

It became a mission for veteran and military groups and the idea spread.

By 2007, a non-profit corporation– Wreaths Across America — was formed with the motto: Remember. Honor. Teach.

In 2014 the group placed more than 700,000 wreaths in 1,000 locations from Pearl Harbor to Valley Forge.

If you would like to participate, go to wreathsacrossamerica.org.