Rolling Thunder Picks Up Wreath Laying Tradition

Local veterans’ groups have cut ties with controversial non-profit Wreaths Across America and are planning to scale back the annual pre-Christmas wreath-laying ceremony.

The Southern Maine Veterans’ Cemetery, which has hosted the annual event, and Rolling Thunder Maine Chapter 1, which raises funds for the event, say they could no longer afford the affiliation. Last year, it cost more than $78,400 to lay wreaths for all 2,800 graves, according to Linwood Dall, member of the cemetery board. The cost would have been higher this year since the cemetery has expanded to 3,300 graves.

“It was costing a lot of money and if you don’t get a wreath on every grave, the Lord jumps down on you,” Dall said.

A ceremony will still be held at noon on Dec. 19, the same day as the traditional event. Instead of wreaths on every grave, organizers are aiming to strategically place large wreaths at every section of the cemetery and niche wall, and smaller wreaths for every branch of the service. Losing the affiliation means organizers can no longer use the trademarked name. The new name is Rolling Thunder Chapter 1 Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony.

Families are encouraged to buy their own wreaths, says Tiffani Bourque, who has spearheaded fundraising.

“I love that it’s going to become a community event with us all working together,” said Bourque.

Wreaths Across America began in 1992 with Merrill Worcester’s donation of 5,000 wreaths to the graves of fallen soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. Volunteers provided trucking. With media attention and the participation of allied organizations, the annual caravan from Harrington, Maine to Arlington grew into an annual event with more than 5,500 participating locations.

But now, Wreaths Across America is under media and watchdog scrutiny for alleged financial self-dealing. CharityWatch documented that the non-profit organization spent nearly $100 million over a recent three-year period on wreaths purchased exclusively through Worcester Wreath Company, a business owned by the same family that operates the charity.

Costs of participation in the event have also been rising, which was compounded locally by the need to buy ever more wreaths to keep up with the dramatic expansion of the cemetery over the past two decades. Last year, it was a struggle to cover costs. But when the veterans’ groups announced in a Facebook post in August that they had cut ties with Wreaths Across America, they faced a backlash, said Craig Higgins, chair of Rolling Thunder Chapter 1.

“People were upset, some didn’t understand. They thought the wreaths were free, that the government paid for them,” he explained. Higgins said he has mixed feelings about the organization. “The original idea is fantastic – honoring veterans, I’m all for it. But now, it seems to us, it’s just out for profit. The leadership structure needs to change,” said Higgins.

One of the people upset by the decision was Springvale resident Tiffani Bourque, whose late grandfather Francis O’Gorman, a Vietnam-era veteran, is buried in the cemetery. “I just saw a post about it, and started making phone calls,” she said. “Here I am now, very involved.” Bourque said she was initially angry at the decision to cut ties, but she admitted she had “no idea” about the rising costs and the controversy. She quickly decided to help with fundraising as an honor to her grandfather, with whom she was close. She remembers that he was particularly fond of the cemetery and made a habit of walking there with a group of friends.

“He would walk every day, then stop at 7-Eleven for coffee. You could time it. He was doing it right up to when we had to take away his keys,” said Bourque. O’Gorman died last year at 81.

Bourque said she has already helped raise $4,000 for the event through raffles at Springvale Social Club. She doesn’t know what would have happened had she not stepped up, but figures something would have come together. She meets with Rolling Thunder on a weekly basis. “I know they’re very grateful. To help keep costs down, she plans to involve her students at St. Thomas School, where she teaches, in the wreath-making. “They’ll be fine with it. I can make a wreath real quick.”

“We’re already planning for next year. I really want to be part of it. It’s my way of honoring my grandfather. It’s what he would have done.”

Rolling Thunder Picks Up Wreath Laying Tradition

Comments