IRVINE, CA – December 15, 2020 – On Tuesday, December 15th, Wreaths Across America started the annual caravan to deliver wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery on National Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday, December 19th. The caravan started in Maine and will travel across six East Coast states, lead by Grand Marshal Cindy Tatum, the National President of American Gold Star Mothers Inc. (AGSM). Escort participants include American Gold Star Families, Blue Star Families, veterans, volunteers, and supporters from across the country.
The logistic support for the annual caravan is coordinated by Chief Janine Roberts of the Westbrook Police Department. The caravan is escorted by Commander Trooper Robert Burke of the Maine State Police Honor Guard, who will manage convoy operations along the route, along with eight officers from five different police departments.
Hytera provided 35 PNC370 Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) radios to Wreaths Across America that enable communications between caravan drivers, police escort vehicles, volunteers, and staff. The radios are connected to the Hytera HALO cloud-based server and the T-Mobile LTE network using SIM cards donated by Choice IoT through their VP of Sales Jim Vicatos. Both the nationwide T-Mobile and Hytera HALO PoC services were donated to Wreaths Across America.
“The radio system donated by Hytera and Choice IoT is integral to our convoy participants relaying pertinent information during the caravan,” said Chief Roberts. “They also enable our safety briefings that ensure safe COVID-19 practices and social distancing.”
Due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, limits were placed on the size of the caravan and the number of stops along the route. Most of the trailers of wreaths have arrived separately at Arlington National Cemetery, and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington and the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment will safely lay and recover approximately 267,000 wreaths to honor our nation’s heroes and their family members. The cemetery will be closed to the general public from December 13th to the 18th, but family pass holders are welcome to visit and place their private wreaths and flowers. On Saturday, December 19 a small group of Wreaths Across America team members will place wreaths in a designated section of the cemetery.
About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at more than 1,900 veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and overseas.
For more information, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org
About Hytera America
Hytera designs and manufactures two-way radio systems used by businesses and organizations worldwide. Hytera is a global leader in Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) and Digital Mobil Radio (DMR) systems, with ten international research and development centers and three smart manufacturing centers. Hytera innovates new first-to-market radio technology that is compliant with the most rigorous quality standards, including ISO/IEC-80079-34, IP67 and IP68, and the US military’s MIL-STD-810F. Hytera is a public company and was founded in 1993.
For more information, please visit www.hytera.us
This is the second year Hytera has provided PoC radios to Wreaths Across America. The ability to quickly deploy the radio system over a wide has been essential to coordinating the caravan across multiple states.
