Wreaths Across America | Education | Arlington, One, Goes, Red, His, Sun, Trip, Freedom, Cemetery, Morrill

Remember; Honor; and TEACH.

Along with recognizing the sacrifices of the past and present, Wreaths Across America counts educating our children as one of the chief missions of our campaign. Without that connection to the future, we will fail to remember that freedom isn't free.

Each year dozens of students make the annual trip to Arlington National Cemetery to participate in the wreath-laying ceremonies.

In this photo, teacher Larry Ross introduces Morrill Worcester to his Red Hatters, and shows a group photo from the inspirational trip to Washington D.C. in which as a 12 year-old boy, Morrill was so entranced by Arlington National Cemetery, that his he would later initiate the Arlington Wreath Project.

Larry Ross and his Red Hatted Entourage from the Margaret Chase Smith School in Skowhegan, Maine raise money and don their signature red hats for the long journey to Virginia. The trip has motivated class members to give voice to their own impressions of that hallowed ground.

Here student Haley of the Margaret Chase Smith School was inspired to commemorate the image of Jay Aubin, a Marine from Maine who was killed on the first day of the war in Iraq. The large image is made up of other service people lost in the conflict. What a powerful way to show the loss of one, and many!

Anna is another Smith School student who went to Arlington and responded with the same wonderment and awe that Morrill Worcester experienced as a child.

Here Anna shares two poems she wrote after her 2005 visit to Arlington.

The Changing of the Guard

Click, step tap
The silent rhythmic rap
Sweep, stop, glide
The power in his stride
Forward, march, heel
Let no secrets reveal.
Dark, shadows, cast
This will never be the last

Arlington

An endless sea of balsam rounds,
Of red bows barely sweeping the grounds.
In the snow covered path of gently laid graves.
Lies the heart and soul of so many braves.
I lay them down one by one,
thinking what a good thing I have just done.
As each wreath is carefully laid,
a million words are thought and prayed.

And from Stephanie C. (who wrote to us by mail):

And So The Sun Goes Down

And so the sun goes down
Another day further away from the memories
Names forgotten by all but one or two
The lives of the men and women remembered
on small white tombstones

And so the sun goes down
Another child has learned the lesson
War is not glorious but the people are
Love for freedom goes beyond death

And so the sun goes down
The eternal flame still burns
The guards still pace the metered steps
And Arlington Cemetery sleeps

For more information about educational resources for students and teachers, check out this great page from the Veterans Affairs kids page to learn more about Veterans, the branches of the armed services, and how we can honor the sacrifices made to preserve freedom.