Nationwide, hundreds of people, including 12 Mohawk drivers, are delivering wreaths in partnership with Wreaths Across America (WAA) to decorate veterans’ graves for the holiday season at approximately 2,500 cemeteries across the United States and overseas.
“In much the same way that Santa delivers gifts to the far reaches of the world, our ‘Honor Fleet’ is responsible for transporting and distributing millions of veterans’ wreaths to the participating locations,” said Sean Sullivan, Public Relations Manager for WAA. “The trucking industry believes in our mission and has been tremendously generous — donating the use of their trucks, their people, their gas and their time.”
Mohawk has participated in wreath transportation as well as the wreath-laying ceremonies for five years, with specially-wrapped trailers designed for the occasion by Mohawk’s creative teams.
“With one in five Mohawk truck drivers being veterans, this is an especially personal mission for us,” said Mohawk Vice President of Transportation and Logistics Andy Yearout. “It’s a small way that we can recognize the sacrifices of our country’s military members and their families.”
This year, Mohawk was chosen for an additional stop in their delivery routes for WAA: Arlington National Cemetery.
"We are truly humbled to be a part of this effort, and to play a small role in honoring the brave men and women laid to rest in these places, including now in Arlington, where the WAA story first began," said Micah Riggle, Sr. Director of Human Resources for Mohawk's Supply Chain division. "It's a profound reminder of the value of freedom, and the impact of community."
Five of Mohawk’s over-the-road driver teams and two individual drivers are leading the company's wreath pick-ups and deliveries this year for Arlington as well as Dallas-Fort Worth, Knoxville and Chattanooga. The teams include Ron and Lea Eppich (a Gold Star family), Bobby Patterson and Lester Moore, Mike Miller and Greg Tanner, Joe Sims and Dwight Davis, and Jose Andrade and Stanley Clay, and the individual drivers are Lynn Wyatt and Bradford Utley.
“Mohawk's involvement with Wreaths Across America has evolved into an annual tradition which has become a standout moment for our employees and community,” said Yearout. “We look forward to this every year as a chance to remember and honor the best and bravest among us.”
In addition to employing many veterans across the country, Mohawk has been a leading supporter of Building for America’s Bravest, providing flooring for new homes for the nation’s most seriously wounded veterans.
Wreaths Across America is a national nonprofit organization founded in 2007 to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. They coordinate the annual transport, delivery and placement of more than two million wreaths on the graves of U.S. veterans around the world.
