At a recent private ceremony at the Pentagon, The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration flag was presented to the national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) in the award-winning Vietnam War Exhibit, reaffirming WAA’s Commemorative Partnership.

WAA was among the initial organizations to join the wide-ranging list of Commemorative Partners supporting the efforts of this congressionally chartered Commemoration, which was established under the Secretary of Defense. Since first becoming a partner in 2012, WAA has had the distinct honor of conducting 2,190 welcome home ceremonies for Vietnam veterans across the country, presenting each veteran a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin, and thanking them for their service, valor and sacrifice.

“As the Nation commemorated National Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29, we are grateful to have Commemorative Partners like Wreaths Across America,” said retired U.S. Army Major General Peter (Pete) Aylward, director of The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. “Their mission to Remember, Honor and Teach complements our objectives of thanking and honoring our Vietnam veterans and their families in the communities where they live.”

This year, National Wreaths Across America Day is planned for Saturday, Dec.18, 2021. It is always a free event and open to all people (conditions permitting). For more information on how to volunteer locally or sponsor a wreath for a hero, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. To follow stories throughout the year from across the country focused on this year’s theme, use the hashtag #LiveTheirLegacy2021.

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.

“We have learned so much about our Vietnam veterans and their families through this partnership with the Commemoration, so much so, that it has inspired us and our volunteers to do more,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “As an expansion of our TEACH mission, we’ll be adding an interactive learning tool about Vietnam veterans to our Mobile Education Exhibit that travels the country, and we are recommitting to not only welcoming these veterans home, but in sharing their stories and helping ensure the next generation know what they sacrificed for our freedoms.”