Residents and town employees gather in front of Town Hall to wave America flags for the passing convoy.
Reminder Publishing photos by Tyler Garnet
AGAWAM — With Wreaths Across America taking place on Dec. 14, WAA’s annual “Escort to Arlington,” the nation’s longest veterans’ parade, made a stop in Agawam on Dec. 10.
This event is meant to honor and remember our fallen heroes, while instilling the value of freedom in the next generation.
The parade kicked off on Dec. 7 and traveled down the East Coast, stopping at schools, memorials and other locations along the way to spread the year-long mission to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom.
The route can be viewed on the Wreath Across America’s Official Facebook page.
The convoy stop in Agawam began at 8:45 a.m. with a route that included four schools, where students and residents greeted the convoy waving American flags. There were three public flag-waving locations including Sacred Heart Church, the Public Library and Town Hall.
The caravan consisted of 14 tractor-trailers, a bus transporting dignitaries, staff and volunteers, 40 vehicles to include WAA wrapped and public safety vehicles and a contingent from the Patriot Guard Riders. The motorcade will travel a route which will include four schools, where students will greet the convoy waving American flags.
Participants included WAA Founder Morrill Worcester, WAA Executive Director Karen Worcester and Board of WAA Chairman Wayne Hansen as well as American Gold Star Mothers, Inc National President Patti Elliott and National President Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc Rebecca Stafford.
The parade stopped at The Bethany Assembly of God where a nationally streamed public flag-waving took at 9:15 a.m.
Worcester talked to what she called “the biggest group we’ve ever had join us,” about the history of the nationally streamed public flag-waving event.
Worcester explained that the group was joining in a program that started after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks when a group of older woman decided that on that day they would take an American flag to the top of a hill in Freeport, Maine and people began to honk their horns as they drove by.
“As people were going by in their cars listening to the radio and feeling such dismay, they started to wave that flag and as people went by they started to blow the horn and they started to feel that coming together that even though things were really hard right then, that we can get under that flag, we can unite under that flag and started to feel like we can get through this,” she said.
Those women pledged to stand on that hill every Tuesday for 19 years before their health kept them from continuing, WAA took on the mission and every Tuesday around 9:30 a.m. stand on a hill in Columbia Falls, Maine waving an American flag.
Worcester said, “We remind us and reminder everybody across the country that under this flag, which represents men and women that served, that if we stay united under that flag, that we can do anything as the greatest country in the world.”
People can livestream that event every Tuesday on the Wreaths Across America Official Facebook page and join by virtually waving their flags.
After the group recited the pledge of allegiance, there was a limited access indoor program which recognized local individuals, businesses and organizations that support Wreaths Across America in Western Massachusetts.
Besides thanking The Bethany Assembly of God for donating the space, Agawam Wreaths Across America location coordinator Paul Barabani said there are so many sponsors that help with the wreath display in Agawam including Six Flags and King Gray Coach Line.
He said, “Without Six Flags and King Gray it wouldn’t happen, as it has grown too big. Six Flags allows out of their parking lot to establish a shuttle from Six Flags. King Gray Coach Line, which provides the busses to operate the shuttle.”
King Gray transported around 1,050 passengers last year. There are also over 10,00 wreaths that need to be placed in Agawam at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Barabani said wreath distribution is accomplished with two teams each from the 104th Fighter Group from Barnes and two more from the 439th Airing from Westover. The final one is run by Eversource’s Veterans Association, which has annually been the largest sponsor of wreaths.
USA Recycles provides containers for cardboard generated by boxes to package the wreaths during shipment. Each December, WAA and its national network place approximately 3 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths at over 4,000 participating locations. Thousands of volunteers across the country set wreaths on the graves of veterans buried.