SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, Dec. 6, 2022 – Honoring America’s veterans’ legacy of service, Wreaths Across America and Crowley will host a wreath-laying ceremony on Monday, Dec. 12, in Puerto Rico to celebrate baseball Hall-of-Famer and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve veteran Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker.
In his storied professional baseball career, Clemente received many honors. He was an All-Star, MVP, and World Champion. However, it’s less widely-known that he served as a Marine Reserve while playing Major League Baseball. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Clemente starred for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 to 1972. As part of his humanitarian spirit, he joined U.S. Marine Corps Reserve during the 1958 baseball offseason.
Clemente’s military service epitomized his philosophy of faith, love, and helping those less fortunate. He served until September 1964 as a private first class, including six months on active duty at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. Clemente who was inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame in 2018.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of his 1972 death in a plane crash at age 38 while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
“Our year-round mission is to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families, and Teach the next generation the value of Freedom,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “Mr. Clemente is a wonderful example of how service to others, your community, and your country, can make a lasting impact in the lives of others. He will forever be well-known for what he did while on the baseball field, but we hope his service to our nation will help inspire others to find a way to serve.”
Crowley, the island’s longest-serving U.S. shipping and logistics company and primary sponsor for Wreaths Across America’s Puerto Rico ceremonies, is providing financial and in-kind logistics services to transport more than 5,500 wreaths from the mainland to the island as well as participating as volunteers at the Dec. 17 ceremonies. Joining the company are industry partners Caribbean Produce Exchange, Inc.; Gallery Shipping; Flexitank; Oceanic General Agency; McAllister Towing and Transportation, Unlimited Heavy Equipment and Freight; and Plaza Food Systems in sponsoring wreaths and volunteering to honor veterans.
“Our partnership with Wreaths Across America and celebration of Roberto Clemente’s service is a meaningful opportunity for Crowley employees and partners to remember and honor the men and women who served our country as well as help teach about the value and importance of those who sacrificed to protect our freedoms,” said Sal Menoyo, vice president of Puerto Rico and Caribbean Logistics, Crowley. “We are proud to be able to support these important events and reinforce our commitment to veterans and those currently serving around the world with the Clemente family and Wreaths Across America.”
The Dec. 12 ceremony, where guests will be joined by members of the Clemente family, will highlight Wreath Across America’s mission spanning the world as well as highlight the Roberto Clemente Foundation’s activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of his tragic death.
“The legacy of our father lives on through his many achievements, lasting connections, and the strong sense of comradeship he established in Puerto Rico and beyond,” said Luis Roberto Clemente, son of the late Roberto and Vera Clemente and President of the Roberto Clemente Foundation. “We are proud to stand by our community, Wreaths Across America, and Crowley as they shine a light on his name, the services of veterans in Puerto Rico and beyond.”
On Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 – National Wreaths Across America Day – veterans laid to rest at Puerto Rico National Cemetery also will be honored with the placement of veterans’ wreaths sponsored by the local community. The Puerto Rico ceremony coincides with 3,400 others coordinated by Wreaths Across America in all 50 U.S. states and American territories at sea and abroad.
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 thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
For more information or to sponsor a wreath please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
About Crowley
Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and -operated maritime, energy, and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with more than $2.9 billion in annual revenues, over 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet, and approximately 7,000 employees around the world – employing more U.S. mariners than any other company. The Crowley enterprise has invested more than $3 billion in maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade and the global economy. As a global ship owner-operator and services provider with more than 130 years of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, the company serves customers in 36 nations and island territories through five business units: Crowley Logistics, Crowley Shipping, Crowley Solutions, Crowley Wind Services, and Crowley Fuels. Additional information about Crowley, its business units, and subsidiaries can be found at www.crowley.com.
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