Wreaths Across America (WAA) has presented Barry Pottle of Pottle’s Transportation, Inc. with its Founders Award. He was selected for the honor because of the significant advances he has made in logistics and in getting the trucking industry involved in the WAA mission of laying wreaths each holiday seasons on the graves of America’s war dead. For the past three years, Pottle has been recruiting volunteers and organizing the logistics for the 770-mile, week-long event.
Wreaths Across America is a non-profit formed as an extension of the Arlington Wreath Project. That project was started by Morrill Worcester of wreath producer Worcester Wreath in 1992 with the donation and laying of 5000 Christmas wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery.
Pottle was presented with the award in his hometown of Hermon, ME, the first stop on this year’s WAA route, which begins in Washington, D.C. The program is the work of many patriots, Pottle noted, not just of one person and he thanked everyone for their combined efforts. This season, 215,000 wreaths will be placed on the graves of American vetrans throughout the nation as well as abroad.
“Next year, we hope to deliver 330,000 wreaths,” Pottle told Fleet Owner. He is driving a wreath-delivery truck himself this week to lend a hand.
With an army of volunteers across, WAA has worked for nearly 20 years to visit military cemeteries every December to hold memorial ceremonies and place Christmas wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers, culminating at Arlington National Cemetery. In the U.S., these wreaths are delivered by U.S. trucking companies in specially marked trailers and in convoys escorted by police officers and other groups.
