Hirschbach goes on active duty in remembrance of nation's fallen heroes

Hirschbach Motor Lines supported the Wreaths Across America (WAA) mission by volunteering to haul Remembrance wreaths recently.

Jan. 10, 2017

3 min read

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Hirschbach Motor Lines supported the Wreaths Across America (WAA) mission by volunteering to haul Remembrance wreaths in December 2016.

At the end of each year on National Wreaths Across America Day, WAA’s mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as more than 1,100 locations in all 50 US states, at sea, and abroad. WAA holds the ceremonies to remember and honor veterans through the laying of Remembrance wreaths on the graves of the nation’s fallen heroes and the act of saying the name of each and every veteran aloud.

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Hirschbach driver James Gile and his son Jay.

When WAA started 25 years ago, a wreath-maker from Maine had 5,000 extra wreaths. He gave the wreaths as a gift of thanks for the service and sacrifice made by the nation’s military so he could live freely to work and raise his family. Morrill Worcester could never have foreseen then how this simple gesture would ignite a passion in the hearts and souls of millions of Americans many years later.

In 2016, 1.2 million wreaths were distributed at 1,228 locations nationwide. At Arlington National Cemetery specifically, 245,000 wreaths were placed by more than 44,000—one for each marker in the cemetery. More than 400 truckloads of wreaths were transported across the United States through a network of hundreds of volunteer drivers, donated trucking and diesel, and countless hours of dedicated volunteers committed to the mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.

Hirschbach volunteered to haul four loads of Remembrance wreaths for WAA. The loads departed from Maine and traveled to Arlington National, Allegany National, Fort Sam Houston, and Saint Louis. All the Hirschbach drivers who hauled wreaths were veterans. Drivers included Steven Edwards, James Gile, Christopher Hub and Adam Dean.

“Hirschbach has volunteered to haul wreaths for Wreaths Across America for many years. WAA is something our employees, especially our military veterans, look forward to doing each winter,” said Erica Reiss, Marketing and Business Development Specialist at Hirschbach. She went on to say, “The program is a great way to honor those who have served and sacrificed for our great country. We take pride in being a Wreaths Across America Trucking Partner. We look forward to hauling wreaths again next year.”

Hirschbach offers refrigerated truckload services to all 48 states. The company has a fleet of more than 950 trucks and 1,500 trailers, multiple terminal locations, and continues to expand into new service areas. For more information, access www.hirschbach.com.

Go to www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org to learn more or to sponsor a wreath.