Wreaths by Retha Kenneth Riege

from May 2020 Gallup Journey Magazine

What’s Next For El Morro’s Night Sky?

"Wreaths by Retha"

By Kenneth Riege USAF Veteran 1985 – 1993

This is a story of how my wife went from watching a “how to” video on how to make a wreath to making wreaths for Medal of Honor Recipients, active duty military, and an award-winning actor.

Last year (when we were all free to do as we pleased and didn’t have to stand 6 feet apart) my wife Retha Duffy-Riege was just doing what a lot of people do in the evenings which is relaxing and surfing the internet, when she came across a very unique way to make a wreath. On that particular wreath, there was nothing special about the fabric, but my wife had a different idea and that was to use fabric from old military uniforms. At the Comfort Suites, we are honored to have the Navy Seabees staying with us who are working with the Southwest Indian Foundation on building homes, and we have become very dear friends with many of these American Heroes. We talked with a few of the Seabees about what they wanted to do and if they had any old uniforms they would like to donate. They were “all in,” so the first couple of wreaths Retha made were for several of the Seabees.

This is the first wreath that Retha made, for Senior Chief Petty Officer Brian Mixan.

I soon became her assistant by helping cut the fabric and helping with pinning them on the foam wreaths. I was so amazed at how beautiful they were and how therapeutic it was. We soon began looking elsewhere for different types of fabric for different branches of the military and for different time periods, like the BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) fabric and OD (Olive Drab) Green. The next one we made was for Hershey and here is a picture of his wreath on his fireplace mantle. In all, a little over twenty of these beautiful one of a kind pieces of art have been created. One of the wreaths Retha made was presented to our favorite restaurant Don Diego’s. It was just a little token of appreciation for all they do for our Don Diego’s Wreath

This wreath was presented to World War II Medal of Honor Recipient Mr. Hershel “Woody” Williams. Woody is one of two remaining WWII MOH Recipients.

community and their support of our veterans.

In May 2018 as we were watching the Memorial Day Concert on TV, Retha decided that she wanted to do a wreath for Lt. Dan himself, Mr. Gary Sinise. I have had the extreme honor of meeting Mr. Sinise at several different events and thought, “Wow this is really cool.” Here is a picture of Gary Sinise in his office with his wreath:

This past February I was honored to present Mr. Sinise with another one of Retha’s Wreaths:

One thing to note, and that’s the bench and the backdrop. The bench is from the movie Forrest Gump and the backdrop is from the park where Forrest tells his story.

I would also like to share a few pictures of some of the different wreaths she has made and where they are:

This one was made for Vietnam Medal of Honor Recipient Mr. Robert Patterson and his wife Linda who live in Florida.

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This month’s Medal of Honor quote comes from Mr. Robert Patterson (MOH Vietnam) and recipient of a “Wreath by Retha”: “Your Integrity is the most valuable asset you have. Never jeopardize it.”

In these trying times when we are all looking for words of encouragement and wisdom, this is the book to buy: “Medal of Honor Quotes, Inspiration from American’s Military Heroes,” and can be purchased through the Center for American Values at www.americanvaluescenter.com.

This picture was taken in June 2019 in California as we presented wreaths to MOH Recipient Mr. John Baca (L) and his dear friend Marine Corps Veteran William “Monsoon” Mimiaga. In the picture are from left to right: John Baca, Retha Riege, Eric Paul Riege, Daniel Escamilla, Ken Riege, and William “Monsoon” Mimiaga. John and Monsoon also presented us with their very own special challenge coins.

Here are two of Retha’s most unique wreaths. The top one is made completely out of recycled American Flags and the bottom one she made to match the Medal of Honor Ribbon. These have become part of the “Hands of our Greatest Heroes” exhibit at the Comfort Suites in Gallup.

Like a true artist, Retha creates a wreath when she feels moved to do so, just like the first one she made for Mr. Sinise. It’s is an honor to help her create these one of a kind pieces of art. Most of the time, we already have in mind who the wreath is being made for, which gives us the opportunity to share stories about that person. However there have been a few times when she just felt moved to create a wreath, like the two that have become a part of one of our most unique exhibits at the hotel. All this being said, one would think that her husband would have been the first recipient of one of her wreaths, however, I am still waiting to receive a “Wreath by Retha.”