The American Trucking Associations and ATA’s Share the Road Highway Safety Program are participating in this year’s Wreaths Across America delivery to Arlington National Cemetery.
“The trucking industry has a longstanding tradition of honoring our nation’s fallen heroes and Wreaths Across America is very much a part of that legacy,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “ATA is privileged to play a role in celebrating the lives of thousands of servicemen and servicewomen this holiday season and we are grateful for the continued security provided to us by America’s active military personnel.”
Share the Road professional truck drivers Ralph Garcia and Nate McCarty are driving the program’s Mack Pinnacle 70-inch high rise sleeper model from Maine to Arlington, Virginia. Along the way, the drivers will participate in engaging education sessions for local students and communities to learn about the trucking industry’s importance to the economy and the need to honor the nation’s heroes.
“As a veteran and a truck driver, I feel tremendous pride knowing that the load I’m carrying will be used to honor and show gratitude to such a deserving group of Americans” said Share the Road professional truck driver Nate McCarty, of ABF Freight. “In my past experiences as part of this convoy, I’ve met Gold Star Mothers and heard moving stories of heroism, and I look forward to sharing this journey with my friends in the trucking community.”
This year, Wreaths Across America expects to deliver more than one million wreaths to veterans’ graves throughout the globe. Thousands of visitors and dozens of trucks will spread throughout Arlington National Cemetery on December 17 to place wreaths on each grave marker and pay remembrance to the men and women who fought to preserve American freedoms.
The Share the Road drivers are chronicling their trip with videos and photos on Share the Road’s official Facebook and Twitter pages. Followers are encouraged to interact with the drivers and volunteers at Arlington National Cemetery are invited to meet the drivers during the wreath laying proceedings. Last week, Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) sponsored a resolution that was unanimously passed which designates December 17 as “Wreaths Across America Day.”
“Truck drivers have the fortunate perspective of seeing exactly how our armed forces impact the American way of life,” said Share the Road professional truck driver Ralph Garcia, of ABF Freight. “We get to share the highways with a diverse group of fellow Americans and take part in the movement of critical goods and all of this is made possible by America’s military.”