On December 6th, Dart contractor Brad Chapdelaine didn’t pick up a typical load in Harrington, Maine. 500 boxes, filled with wreaths, were loaded into his trailer. Destination: Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Each year, the trucking industry transports wreaths for a program called “Wreaths Across America,” that places Christmas wreaths on the headstones of veterans’ graves at cemeteries across the country.
In 2006 the program received national attention, and the Patriot Guard Riders offered to help by escorting the wreath trucks down the East Coast. This “parade” of truckers became an annual event. This year, Brad was a part of that parade.
After making their way down the East Coast, stopping along the way, Brad and the other truck drivers arrived at Arlington on Friday, December 9th where they staged their trucks to get ready for the next day.
While they were getting their trucks in place, a woman pulled up in a car alongside Brad and a few others. “She said her son was buried there,” Brad said. “So we got out a wreath to put at her son’s grave, and she was crying and hugging everybody in thanks. To me, that’s worth the whole trip right there.”
The next morning volunteers flooded the cemetery, ready to unload the boxes and place the wreaths on the headstones. “You wouldn’t believe the volunteers that came for this,” Brad said. He had 4,000 wreaths in his trailer, alone. More than 80,000 wreaths were delivered to cemeteries across the country.
While in Arlington, it was one of Brad’s goals to place a wreath on Kerry Olson’s grandfather’s grave. Kerry is Dart’s Regional Account Manager. So Brad approached the wreath coordinator and asked, “how much do I owe you to place a wreath on someone’s grave?” To which they replied, “nothing,” and gave Brad one of two larger sized wreaths that would be placed on graves that day – one for President Kennedy, and one for Kerry’s grandfather.
Brad said he’ll never forget the experience, and hopes he can do it again next year. He knows that he touched a lot of lives that day. “I’ve never had so many people come up to me and thank me,” he said. “It was something else.”
To see the photos Brad took on his trip, please visit the photo album on Facebook.
About Wreaths Across America
Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, found himself with a surplus of wreaths in 1992. Remembering a trip he made to Arlington as a child, Morrill made arrangements for wreaths to be placed in the cemetery. In 2007, Wreaths Across America was formed as a non-profit 501-c3 organization to continue and expand Morrill’s effort.
The wreath laying is held annually on the second Saturday of December in hundreds of locations across the U.S. To learn more or to make a donation, please visit the Wreaths Across America website.