Wreaths Across America Ceremony Saturday, Vets Selected to Place Ceremonial Wreaths

The Bismarck Squadron Civil Air Patrol will facilitate this year’s Wreaths Across America event at the ND Veterans Cemetery on December 15th starting at 11am, with the help of the community. The event will occur simultaneously with over 1,500 other ceremonies at locations in the United States and beyond, and will be highlighted by the placement of military service ceremonial wreaths by veterans of each respective service. The ceremonial wreath presenters were nominated by the community, and selected via a random drawing. The event will culminate with adorning gravesites with a holiday wreath. Over 6,700 wreaths were sponsored for this year’s event.

Veterans selected to place wreaths on behalf of their service and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action service members are:

• Army – Former Specialist 4 Dick Dever of Bismarck
• Navy – Former Petty Officer 2nd Class Russ Lindblom of Bismarck
• Marine Corps – Former Corporal David Patch of Bismarck
• Air Force – Former Staff Sergeant Terrance Moericke of Mandan
• Coast Guard – Former Yeoman 2nd Class Kathleen Donahue of Mandan, a World War II veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS)
• POW/MIA – Current US Army Reserve Master Sergeant  Robert Holtz of Fargo

A wreath will also be placed by a CAP cadet on behalf of Merchant Marine veterans

The event will start at 11 AM on Saturday, December 15, 2018, but everyone is encouraged to get there early if possible because parking can take some time. Attendants will be present to guide participants to parking spaces. Bismarck CAP anticipates they will be able to fit everybody inside the cemetery, so parking on Highway 1806 should be avoided unless an attendant directs otherwise. Overflow parking will also be available at Ft. Lincoln like in previous years.

Once a ceremony is over, all participants will be given instructions on how the wreath placement part of the event will occur. The current weather forecast calls for reasonable winter weather, but attendees are encouraged to check conditions before leaving home and dress accordingly. The Chapel building at the Veterans Cemetery will be open, but is set aside for those participants who may be especially sensitive to being outside in the cold.