ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – A Maine company placed 5,000 wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday as part of a nationwide ceremony.

At the same time, wreaths were also placed at nearly 230 veterans cemeteries and monuments in every state and Puerto Rico.

Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Co., donated about 8,000 wreaths and pushed for the nationwide ceremony. This was the 15th year he has donated wreaths to the Arlington cemetery. The tradition began in 1992 after Worcester found himself with an extra 5,000 wreaths in mid-December – too late to bring them to market.

He decided to donate them to Arlington because he was inspired by the burial ground on his first visit to the nation’s capital as a boy.