Saturday, Dec. 17, was a day to make its citizens proud in Biddeford. Over 3,000 wreaths were placed on grave sites all over the city by volunteers who paid their respects to the veterans buried there. The snow and rain and wind came just as wreaths were being delivered on the 16th and continued as the wreaths were being placed on veterans’ graves, but that didn’t prevent the many volunteers from acknowledging the service that local veterans gave for their country. The outpouring of volunteers who trudged through the snow to place the wreaths was awesome!

I had the honor of getting involved with this event when local trucking company owner Graig Morin decided that he would piggyback onto the Wreaths Across America program that oversees the distribution of veterans’ wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery and over 3,400 other locations around the world. The support of the community was evident in the turnout of volunteers.

I want to thank everyone who got involved. I know that I will certainly miss people who played key roles in this event, and I apologize in advance, but more importantly, they have our gratitude. Thanks to groups like the St. Joseph Knights of Columbus for locating gravesites with survey flags, the Rotary Club of Biddeford and Saco for “manning” each of the depots at the St. Joseph Cemetery for wreath distribution, the Landry/French Construction team at St. Mary’s and Greenwood Cemeteries, along with the folks at St. Demetrios, the bugle players, the cleanup crew and the gate keepers, monitoring traffic in and out of each location. Special thanks also to the Denis and John Letellier at Woodlawn Cemetery, making sure that it was well organized, coordinating with the volunteers there.

And let’s not forget the truck drivers who went to Columbia Falls, Maine, to pick up the wreaths and the truck drivers who split up the trailer load into small utility trailer loads to go to each location. Let’s not forget the Scout Packs who were involved in the wreath laying and to the veterans’ groups who were our go-to people to make sure it was all done with respect.

Also, the city’s Public Works Department gets kudos for coming to the rescue to handle the recycling of all the empty cardboard boxes used to carry the wreaths. And the cemetery crews at each location were so helpful, considering the snow and weather we had to deal with. Special thanks go to Landry/French Construction, both as sponsors and as providers of volunteers to help the Thornton/Wells/Biddeford Girls Hockey Team lay wreaths at St. Mary’s and at the Greenwood Cemetery.

Thanks also to all the sponsors of the event, from those who gave major donations, those who paid for expenses of the day, those who bought a number of wreaths, and especially to those who bought individual wreaths to honor their family members who served. Thanks also to Dana Peck of the Biddeford Historical Society for his efforts in getting wreaths to the 13 small family “Ancient” cemeteries in Biddeford that are often forgotten.
Thanks also to Kurt Pray Asphalt for hauling wreaths. Also, to Dave Prejean for plowing snow as needed and for rounding up the cardboard at each cemetery for recycling. And to the Maine Professional Drivers Association for use of equipment. And a special thanks to Brown Dog Carriers and Graig Morin for all their efforts in making this a success. They were responsible for every aspect of the success of this event, from sponsoring wreaths, storing them on their site with their trailers, using their personnel to help at the event as well as to haul tractor trailer loads from northern Maine to Biddeford and hauling additional loads to the National Cemeteries in Bourne, Massachusetts, and Arlington, Virginia.

And this year, a special thanks to the convoy of trucks that hauled part of the 247,000 wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery, stopping in Biddeford to help educate the students at the Middle School about veterans and the sacrifices made on their behalf.

And most of all, thank you to our veterans for their service and sacrifice to our country, making it possible for us to enjoy our lives in the manner we have become accustomed to.

And with respect to the veterans buried in our cemeteries, we don’t want to let the wreaths spoil and look disrespectful, so on Jan. 21 (or before, depending on the weather), we will undertake the removal of the wreaths. Volunteers are requested to drop by any of the cemeteries and gather the wreaths marked with red bows and white tags, into a central area to be picked up by our trucks to be taken to be recycled.

Thank you,

Denis Litalien
Team Wreaths Member

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