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 4,788 participating locations, in addition to Arlington National Cemetery, transportation logistics are 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.

Who knew a joy ride in a 1957, H-Model Mack, at the age of 13, would be a sign of things to come in terms of Fred Thompson’s career choice. He knew he could handle that two-stick transmission because he’d watched his father do it for years. “One evening my father was out at a meeting somewhere and I thought it would be a good idea to take the truck up the road for a little spin and I did,” Fred chuckled. “In the process I drove by my grandfather’s house, and he happened to be sitting out on the porch and saw the truck go by. The next day he was quizzing my dad about where he was taking the truck the night before, and Dad said, ‘I wasn’t out,’ and my grandfather said, ‘well yes you were, I saw the truck.’  Clearly, at 13, Fred had mastered that truck because we went up and down that road in one piece that night. His only mistake was not choosing his route more wisely.

Fred became a professional truck driver, and his career included being an owner/operator for several years before retiring with Walmart Transportation. “Driving for Walmart out of Lewiston, Maine was the best driving job I ever had,” Fred shared. “I pretty much had the driving down pat, but I learned so much, and there were so many different opportunities to be involved with more things associated with driving. There are safety committees, steering committees, charitable organizations, and things like that. My first year at Walmart Transportation was 2012 and that was my first introduction to Wreaths Across America.”

Well, anyone who knows the Thompson’s knows that when you get Fred, you get Diane too! As Diane humorously quips, “Whether you want me or not!” Recently, the couple celebrated fifty years of marriage. For years, Diane “kept the home fires burning” while Fred was on the road but she was able to travel with him when he received the assignment to pick up veterans’ wreaths in Downeast, Maine representing Walmart Transportation. “Diane and I had heard about it and had seen it on TV, but we didn’t know that much about it,” Fred admitted. “But when you get down there to Columbia Falls and start to experience it and meet the Worcester family, and talk with the other volunteers, and see the museum you start to get a better understanding, but you still don’t fully get it. Now, we say, when we ask people to come help us lay wreaths at our cemetery in Gardiner, ‘once you do it, you’re always going to want to do it.’ They’re just something about laying that wreath and speaking the veteran’s name. We’ve had them tell us that one act is when the lightbulb went off and they said, ‘oh now I get it.’”

Fred is a military veteran himself humbly explaining he served in the National Guard from 1968-1974, always stateside, and never on active duty.

Fred and Diane have served Wreaths Across America in multiple capacities since joining the team in 2012. They were one of the earliest traveling Ambassador Teams for the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit (MEE). Fred did the driving and Diane handled inventory and other duties associated with the MEE on the road, and together they helped welcome home Vietnam veterans in the communities they visited. They have both supported the mission as well by joining Wreaths Across America’s Director of Transportation and Industry Relations, Courtney George, on the road at various truck shows across the country.

Diane gets her own billing though in Trucking Tributes as, “the little lady who makes the wreaths” by driver after driver who has picked up a load of veterans’ wreaths in Maine and spent time at the driver’s lounge. “I do the wreath making with them, so they truly understand what the wreath means for a veteran’s life,” she explained. “Plus, they need a friendly face; someone to welcome them who understands they just drove a long way to pick up a special load.”

You’ll never meet two people as dedicated to the mission as Fred and Diane Thompson and they work tirelessly to take care of whatever might be needed by the transportation department at Wreaths Across America. Thank you, Fred and Diane for all you do to support 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 Fred and Diane Thompson 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 Wednesday at 8:30 AM EST on Sirius XM Channel 146, Road Dog Trucking Radio.

Discover the Trucking Tributes archive playlist on Soundcloud.com