This May, and always, we REMEMBER, HONOR, and TEACH about those who have served and sacrificed for our freedoms and for the families they left behind.
Memorial Day - originally called Decoration Day -- was not established to be “the unofficial start of summer” as so many believe, but is a day for remembering all men and women who have died in military service for this country.
Last year, many of the traditional Memorial Day observations were canceled due to the pandemic. But thanks to so many of our dedicated volunteers, heroes all over the country were still Remembered and Honored. We will continue to share their stories as we do every day of the year, and encourage you to find a way to do the same. The team here has put together some ideas below on how you can help ensure these men and women are honored and remembered not only on Memorial Day, but every day of the year.
No matter how you remember and honor, I hope you do so with gratitude for those who were willing to sacrifice for this country. I know I will.
With gratitude,
Karen Worcester
REMEMBER. HONOR. TEACH.
Give the Gift of Remembrance.
With every $15 veteran’s wreath sponsorship, you have the opportunity to dedicate it “In Memory Of” a loved one who served. In addition to placing the wreaths each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, Wreaths Across America hosts a virtual “Remember Wall” for each participating location. You can post photos, memories and personal messages on these pages as a year-round display of remembrance.
To further honor our veterans this year, we’ll be sharing a selection of the “Remember Wall” messages on the Wreaths Across America Official social media pages over the coming days/weeks. If you’d like to participate, start your sponsorshiphere or search for theWreaths Across America location you wish to support.
From May 1-31, any Remembrance Wall posts made will be entered into a drawing for 10 random winners to send 100 veterans’ wreaths to the participating location of their choice!
When a volunteer places a wreath on a veteran’s grave on National Wreaths Across America Day, we encourage them to speak that veteran's name aloud, thank them for their service and sacrifice, and reflect on that person and their life. This solemn and moving moment is one of the most important aspects of National Wreaths Across America Day. In fact, we encourage our volunteers at every participating location to perform this action for every veteran, even if they do not have a wreath dedicated to each veteran at their location.
This Memorial Day, consider taking a similar moment to honor the fallen veterans in your community by sharing their names or stories. This is a simple action that can easily be performed virtually if you are unable to hold in-person events in your community. Try creating a short video and sharing it on social media or encourage families in your community to contribute photos, names, and stories of the veterans in their lives.
Honor a Loved One Today.
Wreaths Across America established the Veteran’s Remembrance Tree Program as another way to remember and honor our veterans. In Columbia Falls, Maine, where the balsam tips are harvested each year to be made into the wreaths that are placed on veteran’s graves, families may participate in the Remembrance Tree Program by finding a tree that will become a living memorial to their loved one and placing a customized dog tag on the trunk of the evergreen tree. These trees are kept in production and their balsam tips are harvested every three years and made into veterans’ wreaths that are placed each December.
Participation in this program is FREE and open to all families who have had a loved one in the military.
Join us virtually on Facebook as we officially unveil the new Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 memorial, constructed in honor of its namesake flight, which went missing March 16, 1962. When the plane disappeared without a trace, so did 93 U.S. Army Soldiers and their flight crew. All were declared missing in action, and presumed dead.
It has been nearly sixty years and for the victims' families, questions and heartbreak still remain. We will be joined by surviving family members and friends of the lost souls aboard that plane to remember and honor their service forever.
Wreaths Across America Radio Now Streaming on iHeart Radio!
Tune in weekdays for your chance to win 100 veterans’ wreaths for the participating Location of your choice. 10 lucky listeners will be randomly selected at the end of May. You must tune in to win!