'This could be us': Marines among 6,000 who place wreaths on graves at Arlington Cemetery

WP ^ | December 12, 2009 | Yamiche Alcindor

[HokieMom]

Pfc. De'Angello Robinson, 19, traveled seven hours by bus to place a single wreath on the tomb of a soldier whom he'd never met.

For him, and the other Marines who took the trip from Camp Johnson in Jacksonville, N.C. to Arlington National Cemetery to decorate graves, the day was about paying tribute to men and women who once stood in their shoes.

"In a few months, from where we are getting shipped out, this could be us," said Robinson of the fallen soldiers. "If it is us, I would want somebody to do the same for me so I'm just trying to show respect."

He was one of more than 6,000 volunteers who gathered Saturday morning to place wreaths on veterans' gravesites across several sections of Arlington Ceremony.

[HokieMom]

ARLINGTON, Va. - There's a special ceremony today at hallowed ground in our area.

It's the annual wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery, where volunteers decorate holiday wreaths and place them on thousands of headstones.

The wreaths are donated by the Worcester Wreath Company in Maine.

Merrill Worcester started the tradition in 1992, and says it's the least he can do to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

"I've been lucky over the years to have what I have," Worcester said. "Thanks for the freedom that we have to do what we can do. In this country, the harder you work, the better you can do. And that's really not the case in other places."

Wreaths were also placed at the Pentagon 9/11 memorial, as well as Ground Zero in New York and Shanksville, Pa.

WTOP

[Gene Eric]

Someone’s daddy, someone’s husband, someone’s child.

Godspeed.

[HokieMom]

Wreaths Across America

Why the wreath company does this on YouTube

[HokieMom]

Amen.

[Guenevere]

bttt

[HokieMom]

I thought the videos were nicely done.

[HokieMom]

Donna Collier of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., places wreaths on
graves in Section 60 at Arlington Cemetery. War dead from
Iraq and Afghanistan are buried in that area.
(Sarah L. Voisin/the Washington Post)

More at the WP Thousands of wreath-layers carry out Arlington tradition