Wreaths Across America's "Escort to Arlington" stops in Elmsford for veterans parade

Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Updated ·1 min read

Wreaths Across America, considered one of the country's longest veteran's parade, brought its annual "Escort to Arlington" to Elmsford on Tuesday.

According to the organization, the event started over 30 years ago, when an independent wreath maker in Maine drove a single truck to deliver 5,000 wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery.

Students from Alexander Hamilton High School in Elmsford line East Main St. to welcome a dozen tractor trailers from Wreaths Across America as they made a stop in Elmsford Dec. 12, 2023 as part of their journey from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The trailers are carrying 70,000 wreaths that will placed on the graves of military veterans buried at the national cemetery. The convoy stopped in Elmsford for a ceremony in which local elected officials, school children, and area residents greeted the dozens of members of Wreaths Across America making the trip to Virginia. The convoy is making stops all along their route, with the stop in Elmsford being the only one in New York State.

This year's event launched on Dec. 9 and has made stops at various cities and states across America from Maine to Virginia with a 13-truck convoy, sponsored by Chevrolet, to transport Gold Star families, veterans and first responders for the week-long event.

The trucks stopped Tuesday in front of Elmsford Fire Co. 1 near Legion Park, where several hundred kids from the Elmsford Public School District were lining the street to wait for them. Elmsford is the convoy's only stop in New York State this year.

Wreaths Across America is also bringing its Mobile Education Exhibit and around 70,000 veteran's wreaths to be placed on headstones at Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 16, which is National Wreaths Across America Day.

Elmsford school children recite the pledge of allegiance at a ceremony recognizing Wreaths Across America, the organization that is making its way from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to lay wreaths at graves of military veterans buried at the national cemetery. A convoy of tractor trailers, carrying 70,000 wreaths, stopped in Elmsford for a ceremony in which local elected officials, school children, and area residents greeted the dozens of members of Wreaths Across America making the trip to Virginia. The convoy is making stops all along their route, with the stop in Elmsford being the only one in New York State.

The escort will stop in Southbury, Conn., in the morning and move on to Springfield, N.J., in the afternoon before moving southward to Arlington.

Wreaths Across America said it still needs 259,000 more wreaths to reach its goal of placing a wreath on every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. Register to sponsor a wreath online.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Wreaths Across America's "Escort to Arlington" stops in Elmsford NY