In November and December, one of the busiest periods of the year for the transportation sector, the Wreaths Across America mission brings drivers together in an effort of unparalleled unity. With a positive, “can-do” work ethic, these professionals make it possible for Americans to honor millions of veterans laid to rest at home and overseas. In 2024, with over 4,909 participating locations, in addition to Arlington National Cemetery, transportation logistics were immense.

Many of these drivers are military veterans and say the truckload of fresh balsam-fir wreaths is the most precious cargo they transport in their careers. Wreaths Across America shares their stories in the “Trucking Tributes” feature online and on Wreaths Across America Radio.

“That Saturday afternoon, after all the wreaths were placed, I was already looking forward to the next year,” Vince shared his sentiment about participating in Wreaths Across America as a member of the Honor Fleet. “It was such an honor for me and my wife to do it,” he continued. Vince Strupp is the owner-operator for V & J Strupp Trucking, LLC. He has been involved with the Wreaths Across America mission for fourteen years. “I tell my buddies at the American Legion when they ask me how long I’m going to do it; I tell them for as long as I can. One day at a time, one year at a time.”

Vince was so moved by his experience as a member of the honor fleet that he went above and beyond the transportation support, got his American Legion post involved in supporting participating cemeteries, and has worked to increase wreath sponsorships every year. “We’ve got eighteen cemeteries in our county. We started with one case of wreaths, and now we’re over a thousand. That’s how much it’s grown,” Vince explained.

Vince started trucking, as many young men do, by working on a farm. “Through my high school years, I started driving for a neighbor of mine on his dairy farm. After high school, I got drafted into the Army, and after all my basic training, I was at Fort Hood in Texas, and we were all given different duty jobs, and I volunteered for the motor pool. I got to drive rubber-tired vehicles around for a week or ten days we were there, then we got orders for Europe after that. Once I got over to Germany, I was assigned to the 24^th Infantry Division Headquarters Company at the time, and it was doing fuel duty maneuvers,” Vince explained. “When I walked into the tent, the supply and transportation Sergeant said, ‘You look like a truck driver. Have you ever driven a military vehicle? I said, yeah, I did back in the States. He said when we go back to our post, you’ll be driving, and I’ll be riding with you, and I’ll decide if you know how to drive a truck,” Vince chuckled as he recalled.  “I passed the test and got to drive all over Germany.”

Vince also drove the truck he was assigned to in Greece and Turkey, and just before Thanksgiving of that year, the unit was airlifted back to Germany, where he finished his tour of duty before returning to the States. Vince shared that it was an honor for him to serve in the military. “You couldn’t buy the experience I was fortunate enough to receive, not to mention the travel and seeing how other people lived.” Vince did more military driving in the Reserves, and when he completed his military service, he returned to his old job at the Chrysler company. However, he soon realized an indoor job was not to his liking, so he went back to trucking. Then he returned to the family farm with his wife and started a family. Vince shared that it was an honor for him to serve in the military. "It’s one of those things where you look back on it and scratch your head and say, I really did that?”

Once Vince’s kids were full-grown, he decided to renew his Chauffeur’s License, now called the CDL, and went back to trucking full-time. He bought a 1996 Volvo with over a million miles and started long-haul trucking. “In 2007, I traded it in and got a new truck, and the company I was signed on to did mostly east coast refrigerated freight. In 2012, I decided I’d like to see the West Coast too, and I had to switch companies to do that, and most of the carriers were looking for team operators. I was able to find a partner and cover all the states and Canada. I’ve seen a lot of North America, and every day was a new day, and I enjoyed that part of the occupation. I even enjoyed the season changes, which brought on new challenges. My wife used to travel with me too, which was a good way for her to see the country.”

Unfortunately, Vince’s wife got sick, and he had to come off the road to support her. “My partner I was driving teams with is solo now as I’m taking care of things back here.”

Wreaths Across America was an experience that Vince was able to share with his wife. “My wife is also a veteran of the Air Force. I heard about Wreaths Across America at the time on the Dave Nemo Show, and it was about two weeks before wreath laying. I called and they explained it was too late that year, but they called me back in July or so of the next year and asked if I was still interested. Well, I got up to Columbia Falls about a week early and thought I’d be taking a load to Arlington. I met Rob Worcester, and he said, ‘geez we’ve got a waiting list for Arlington,’ and I was disappointed. The next day though he came to me and said, ‘I’ll tell you what. If you can help us out, I promise I’ll get you into Arlington,’ Vince recalled. “It turns out they needed a load of wreaths to go to Chicago, so I checked with the carrier I was leased to, and they said I could go so, my wife and I took that load of wreaths to Chicago and deadheaded all the way back to Columbia Falls for the load we’d take into Arlington. Of all the trucking I did in Washington, D.C. I had never been to Arlington. That experience alone was unbelievable. It meant a lot to us, and it was a great honor to be able to do that. To see that cemetery transform in a couple of hours from white grave markers to a sea of white, red, and green is amazing. To see the amount of people coming out to do this is also amazing. It’s hard to believe with all the turmoil that’s in our country sometimes, and see all the patriotism that’s in our country on that given day is just overwhelming.”

Thank you, Vince, for your military service and tireless commitment to our veterans through the mission to remember, honor and teach.

If you’d like to join the Wreaths Across America Honor Fleet, you can get started with a click right here!

You can hear more with Vince on Trucking Tributes, which can be listened to every Truckin’ Tuesday at 11:00 AM and again at 4:00 PM EST on Wreaths Across America Radio and on Tuesdays at 9:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM CT as part of RadioNemo’s Road Gang Radio, streaming exclusively at RadioNemo.com — or stream on-demand anytime on your favorite podcast and streaming platforms. Just search “RadioNemo.”

Discover the Trucking Tributes archive playlist on Soundcloud.com