Volunteer Photographer Helps Capture 2011 Events

Back in 1992, Morrill Worcester donated the first 5,000 wreaths to be placed on the headstones of our veterans at Arlington National Cemetery as a solemn gesture of appreciation during the holiday season.

Anyone who had heard Morrill speak in person, may have heard him use the self-effacing words “I am just a wreath maker from Maine.”

There is a lesson in those words that when tied to action – we each can do what we do best, to share our gifts in a way that will let those who sacrifice so much, know that we will never forget.

Brad Bradstreet, a photographer from Maine is another volunteer who follows the same maxim to give what is his gift – an eye for beautiful photographs and organization. In 2011, Brad organized 8 different photographers to capture the annual escort of wreaths from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery.

You can see the full album of photos shared by the 8 contributors.

Photo contributors included: Bob Travis, Kirk Membry, Don McCasland, Amy Parulis, Bob Domeracki, Charlie Hawkins. and Brad Bradstreet

When asked how he came to be involved with Wreaths Across America, Brad explained his story this way:

“In 2009 I was shooting photos of sunrise at Nubble Light on the coast of Maine. When done I stopped along route 1 south of Wells to get photos of the convoy going by. Seeing the group created an interest as to what Wreaths Across America was all about. In 2010 I went to the Cabela’s stop in Scarborough, Maine to grab photos of the convoy parked in the lot and was shocked to see the size of the welcome – the organization – the children – the whole thing. I stayed for every last freezing minute.
 
Then I scrambled to make plans to head to Arlington since I was already going to Gettysburg, PA that week. When getting early morning photos at the Darien, CT VFW a woman drove through the parking lot and asked me if I was a veteran. I told her that I was and had served a year in Vietnam. She said “thank you”. It was then I realized she was the first person to really say “thank you” since I had gotten out of the service 40 years before. I did not want others to be forgotten and not appreciated for what they have done or are doing for our country.
 
With 2011 being the 20th year of placing wreaths at Arlington, I wanted to make sure we put together a photo record of what the organization and supporters have done. By pulling together a team of photographers we covered most of the escort to Arlington stops as well as Arlington National Cemetery.”

Our goal in 2012 is to expand this network of volunteer photographers to capture the events all across the Country. If you would like to participate, please send an email to tobin [at] wreaths across america [dot] org and we will build a list of contacts!