In an effort to show support for veterans and honor their families this holiday season, Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization best known for its annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, is teaming up with Truckload Carriers Association and Pilot Flying J to launch the trucking industry’s annual rolling tribute.
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, at Pilot Travel Center in Milford, Connecticut, Morrill and Karen Worcester, WAA’s founder and executive director, respectively, will personally hand out 1,000 free wreaths to professional truck drivers to kick off the tribute. Drivers will receive fasteners so they can attach their wreath to the grill of their truck onsite as an immediate show of support.
Each driver’s wreath is one half of a Trucking’s Patriot Pair, and the remembrance wreath in the set will be laid at Arlington National Cemetery by volunteers on National Wreaths Across America Day, December 14, 2013. Professional drivers who receive a free wreath from the Worcesters, and all those who would like to participate by ordering the Trucking’s Patriot Pair online are being asked to stop at a local cemetery on National Wreaths Across America Day, remove the wreath from their grill, and place it on the headstone of a veteran.
“This idea started after seeing many of our volunteer professional drivers participating in the annual escort to Arlington remove the wreaths affixed to the grill of their rigs, and place it on a headstone once we made it to the cemetery,” said Morrill Worceste. “This very personal expression of gratitude was shared in pictures and online and became a symbol of how dedicated the trucking industry is to supporting our nation’s military.”
For this reason, WAA is asking all drivers participating in the rolling tribute to photograph and share their experience online using #rollingtribute.
Trucking’s Patriot Pair is a new option of support for all professional drivers, and can be ordered at http://www.truckloadofrespect.com and shipped directly to the driver’s specified address. With a donation amount of $30, drivers will receive one wreath and fasteners for display on the grill of their tractor, and a second wreath will be placed on a veteran’s headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. In addition, all drivers who donate will receive a WAA window decal and $5 from every purchase will go directly to TCA’s National Image Campaign.
Worcester Wreath Company is donating these first 2,000 wreaths in the hopes that all professional drivers will want to become part of the rolling tribute.
