Harris is buried at home in Patten, his mother said.Īs part of the national convoy, the Harrises brought wreaths to the Mt. On Apwhile on patrol, he was killed by an improvised explosive device in Bayji, Iraq. In 2005 he was deployed to Mosul, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in support of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He attended Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA where he qualified as a paratrooper. Harris was assigned to Fort Wainwright, in Fairbanks, Alaska with the 172nd Brigade Support Battalion, and 101st Airborne Division Air Assault as a heavy wheeled vehicle operator. He enlisted in the US Army in 2004, said Harris. After graduation he attended Eastern Maine Community College for two years studying diesel mechanics. (Courtesy: Lorna Harris)ĭustin Harris graduated from Katahdin High School in 2002. Their son Dustin, pictured here, was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. 11, 2023 - Patten Gold Star parents Scott and Lorna Harris are driving other Gold Star families with the 53-vehicle Wreaths Across America Convoy this week. Worcester and placed a picture of Dustin in her hand and said, ‘would you take my grandson to Arlington with you,’” Harris said.Īccording to Harris, Karen Worcester still carries the picture of Dustin Harris in her wallet. “He was a very proud grandfather and he found Mrs. The Harrises got connected to the program after Harris’ dad was in Bangor in 2008 and saw the Worcesters in Bangor as part of a Wreaths Across America event. And in 2007, Worcester founded Wreaths Across America. But it wasn’t until a photo of the wreaths on headstones in the national cemetery garnered national attention in 2005 did it gain more support. ‘įor several years the Worcesters continued the annual wreath laying in Arlington and other cemeteries to honor veterans. So they made arrangements to have the wreaths placed on veteran graves in Arlington, a location that held special meaning for Worcester after winning a trip there through the Bangor Daily News as a 12-year-old paperboy. In 1992, Morrill Worcester, the owner of the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, along with his wife Karen, had surplus wreaths near the end of the holiday season. “Dustin can no longer serve, so we serve for him,” Harris said. In 2010, Harris went as a Gold Star Mother, joining the convoy in the last leg of the journey as it entered Arlington.īut since that time the Patten couple has volunteered their time for more than a week to transport truckloads of wreaths, drive Gold Star families and participate in ceremonies in schools, libraries and other community locations along the route. Harris and her husband Scott Harris of Patten have been part of the national convoy for more than a decade and this year they will be helping to transport other Gold Star families to the cemetery for the laying of wreaths on all the graves in the national cemetery on Saturday. “It is amazing, the first year I did it, I came home and cried for three days and that’s not counting the times I cried along the way,” said Gold Star Mother Lorna Harris, whose son, Army Specialist Dustin Harris, was killed in action in 2006 in Iraq. PATTEN, Maine – A Patten Gold Star couple is traveling with the Wreaths Across America Convoy of 53 vehicles, including 10 tractor trailers, through Maine on its nearly 900 mile trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Their son Dustin was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. Pictured, the Harrises participating in a parade as part of last year's convoy. 11, 2023 - Patten Gold Star parents Scott and Lorna Harris (right) are driving other Gold Star families with the 53-vehicle Wreaths Across America Convoy this week.
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