Salisbury, Maryland (Thursday, December 12, 2019) — Perdue Farms and its professional truck drivers honored fallen heroes at a public wreath-laying ceremony at the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial in Salisbury, Md., on Thursday, Dec. 12 in support of the national Wreaths Across America™ (WAA) mission.

Perdue truck drivers, who are veterans, placed seven ceremonial wreaths in front of the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial, which honors the names of 191 men from World War I to present day with a home record in Wicomico County who lost their lives while defending our country and our freedom.
“We are here today united in the common mission to remember the fallen, honor those who have served and are serving, and their families, and teach the next generation about the value of freedom,” said Perdue truck driver Darren Hunt.

The ceremony also included a flyover of a vintage airplane from the Delaware Air Museum Foundation based in Georgetown, Del. Students from Wicomico County also participated in the ceremony.

“When you think of the thousands of people who are serving in the military all around the world and the sacrifices that they and their families are making at this time of the year, the ability for us to help share and show respect for that sacrifice, especially for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and are memorialized at Wicomico War Veterans Memorial, is really important,” said Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue Farms.

Wreaths Across America^™was born in 2006 out of a desire to remember and honor American service members for their contributions in preserving our freedom. Morrill Worcester and the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, had the vision for this project and placed the first wreaths. It has since become an annual tradition to lay wreaths at the graves of our fallen heroes during December as a way to express our appreciation and to pay tribute for the sacrifices made for our country by our service men and women.

Since 2007, Perdue drivers have delivered more than 200,000 wreaths for Wreaths Across America. This year, Perdue drivers will deliver more than 30,000 wreaths to cemeteries from New York to Florida as part of National Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday, Dec. 14. Their journey includes deliveries to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., the United States Military Academy West Point Cemetery in New York, Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial, and Hurlock Veterans Cemetery in Hurlock, Md., among others.

Built in 2002 entirely with donations from the community, the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial honors those with a home of record in Wicomico County who lost their lives while defending the nation and our freedom. The names of 191 men from World War I to present day are displayed on bronze plaques on a brick wall with the words “Here we mark the price of freedom.”Flags from each branch of the military, the POW/MIA flag, county, state, and U.S. flags are flown around the clock to complete the memorial.

The Memorial not only publicly honors our fallen, but it also provides a visible remembrance for family members to visit and know that others appreciate their sacrifice. Public ceremonies are held at the Memorial each year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

About Perdue Farms
We’re a fourth-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.

The PERDUE® brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and the company is the leader in organic chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. As we approach our 100th anniversary in 2020, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. Learn more at www.perduefarms.com.