February 11, 2025
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Signs for Marine found vandalized in Winterport

WINTERPORT – A local woman who wanted to welcome her fiance home from Iraq found her hard work vandalized Friday.

Brittney Ginn said she discovered the damage after she returned from work.

A large banner she had been having family and friends sign over the last few months was ripped and had tire tracks on it.

“I came home and I looked at the sign and I could see obvious knife holes through it,” Ginn said.

Also vandalized were several U.S. flags that were posted on every other telephone pole around her home. The flags had been moved and put upside down.

Ginn and her parents had placed the banner, flags and yellow ribbons in anticipation of the return home of Brittney’s fiance, Marine Lance Cpl. William Shibles.

They managed to right the flags and get the banner back up before driving Saturday to pick up Shibles at Portland International Jetport after his eight-month deployment to Iraq. He is home until mid-June and then is slated to head to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He is scheduled to be deployed again next May.

“To have that all ripped up really hurt,” Ginn said. “It just broke our hearts to see it. Why would somebody do this? Otherwise this is a really nice community.”

Asked about Shibles’ reaction, Ginn said, “He pretty much says the same thing I do. He just doesn’t understand why. This is such a great community and place to live. Normally, there’s great support for the troops.”

When the community found out about the vandalism, there was an overwhelming response, she added.

The town manager called Sunday and invited Shibles to lead the town’s Memorial Day parade Monday. Local veterans groups also have reached out to Shibles.

“People have been calling and a place in Bangor called and wanted to make him a brand-new banner. A lady dropped off a cake and left a nice note. People have just been really good to us,” Ginn said.

These and other gestures have restored her faith in humanity, though she admits that “it still really upsets us to think somebody would do such an awful thing.”

Ginn and Shibles are high school sweethearts who both grew up in Winterport. Shibles graduated from Hampden Academy in 2006 and Ginn will graduate in June.

Ginn said their wedding is scheduled for Oct. 5 at Morgan Hill Event Center in Hermon.

Deputies Dale Brown and Glenn Graef of the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident, but have no suspects at this time, Chief Deputy Bob Keating said Tuesday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 800-660-3398.

Bangor Daily News writer Aimee Dolloff contributed to this report.


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