Wreaths Across America celebrated 125 years of wreath laying services at Arlington National Cemetery, veteran’s cemeteries, locations in all 50 states, ceremonies at sea and 24 national cemeteries on foreign soil on Dec. 13.
Two Morgantown Legionnaires escorted wreaths by motorcycle from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery.
Candy Burkhart and Neil “Popcycle” Wagner represented the Col. Jacobs Post 537 from Morgantown as Wreaths Across America motorcycle escorts. This was Burkhart’s first trip and Wagner’s 8th trip.
WAA grows annually. Official escorts for the tractor trailer wreath trucks (donated by Walmart with volunteer drivers) have been added to make a safe trip from Maine to Arlington.
“Our first goal was to go by bike to Maine. A friend of Neil’s, Wayne Abernathy, joined us. We packed Wayne’s trailer with our gear and set out Dec. 3 in the drizzling rain. When we hit Connecticut it was raining hard, the roads were terrible, by 7 p.m. we were in New Hampshire after getting through all the heavy traffic and wind in New York and up the East Coast,” according to Burkhart’s Journal on Dec. 3.
Arriving at the Maine wreath factory late Dec. 4 they headed to WAA official headquarters and saw the towering lit wreath they would escort to Ellis Island. The following day they visited the tree farm where the greens were being loaded onto trucks, then on to the factory.
“It was a humbling feeling for us to be allowed to tour the factory where the wreaths are made from the greens. These wreaths are sacred to us,” said Burkhart, daughter of a deceased Marine.
Wagner, who from years of freezing and windy trips has earned the name “Popcycle” said, “Since I started till now the number of wreaths have grown from 73,000 to 227,000. There are enough wreaths for every grave in Arlington this year. Morgantown’s Post alone raised $6,000.”
“The next morning at 4 a.m., we had terrible weather, sleet, wet snow, and icy roads. We dressed in layers of clothes with heaters whose wires plugged into the bike. We met up with the convoy ~ everyone was in escort vehicles except Wayne and me. We headed for Maine’s most northeastern lighthouse on his trike being pounded by heavy sleet. There we held a short prayer service. A Gold Star mom (mothers who lose a child in battle) laid a wreath,” according to Burkhart’s Journal on Dec. 6.
Then in escort vans they headed for New Brunswick, Canada. Here the border control stopped all traffic and held a ceremony. Americans walked across the border into Canada to lay wreaths at a statue for fallen soldiers and to exchange wreaths with the Canadians.
The WAA convoy, known as the longest parade in the world, headed down the coast to scheduled stops along the way. They were thrilled to be honored and recognized by hundreds with music, decorated schools and halls, speakers, ceremonies and plenty of warm food. On the way, Maine’s First Lady, Ann LaPage, joined them on this annual mission. She rode on the back of a motorcycle behind them flanked with escorts unless the weather got too treacherous.
“Next morning bikes won’t start, 7 degrees out. Neil uses a power pack to get going and Wayne warms up his motor with a heat lamp, then gets a jump. That day we headed into a nor’easter. Soaked to the skin approaching the George Washington Bridge with heavy winds raging; barely able to see in front of our faces… we walked the bikes,” according to Burkhart’s Journal Dec. 9.
Next day was better, low 30’s, they rode to NY to catch the Ellis Island ferry and present the huge Maine wreath at a ceremony including Gov. Chris Christie, military dignitaries, and others.
“When I walked through the security scanner it went off “like I hit the lottery.” I had to strip down to my long johns. They thought I was wearing a bomb, my heater wires. I was the only one they checked. We ferried to Ellis Island for the ceremony and saw the Statue of Liberty. Cool! After that it was days of continuous celebration with flags and food and we got in a parade. Then I found out we were the parade!” according to Burkhart’s Journal Dec. 11.
When they arrived at the Pentagon, people who lost loved ones there on 9/11 could hang wreaths on their fence. They showed them where the plane hit the building. Sobering moments, they visited the memorial park with the names of the fallen.
Later at the Moose Lodge ‘farewell banquet’ drivers in the convoy got to share. Ann LaPage talked about her experiences on the back of the bike. She asked all the riders to stand up and recognize Candy Burkhart and how she rode the whole way from Maine to Arlington in the elements.
“The final and warmest day was in the 30’s. At the breakfast briefing Neil and I learned the bike would be the last in the escort. We said our good byes, and rode with a police escort to Arlington. On the approach to the gate, the sidewalks were lined with hundreds of people waving flags, news vans, and saluting military. It was overwhelming!” according to Burkhart’s Journal Dec. 13.
“We parked where they brought the fallen soldiers in at the church. There were rows and rows of headstones. We got plenty of photos,” said Wagner.
They located Harry Heater’s Tree (a veteran from the post). After Vietnam members of the Jumping Mustangs, the smallest yet most decorated unit, were granted permission to plant a tree and place a marker for their fallen comrades. With dirt from all 50 states they planted a cherry tree aside their marker. Heater wrote a poem in honor of it. Wagner recorded Burkhart reciting it.
They visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Kennedy’s eternal flame, famed markers and monuments in the cemetery and laid there wreaths on the graves. It was the final moving tribute on their amazing journey.
