Wreaths Across America Honors “Flying Tiger Line Flight 739” with a Special Remembrance Ceremony
On Saturday, March 16, 2024, Wreaths Across America remembers the 62nd anniversary of the Disappearance of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739
Wreaths Across America Honors “Flying Tiger Line Flight 739” with a Special Remembrance Ceremony
On Saturday, March 16, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) will pay tribute to the American heroes who selflessly sacrificed their lives aboard Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 (FTLF 739). Join us for a special event at noon ET at the FTLF 739 Monument on the Balsam Valley tip lands in Downeast Maine. The event will be broadcast live on WAA’s official Facebook page and Wreaths Across America Radio.
To watch live on Facebook or share the ceremony on March 16 at noon ET,click here.
To listen live on Wreaths Across America Radio, click here.
Sixty-two years ago, on March 16, 1962, FTLF 739 and its crew departed on a secret mission to Vietnam sanctioned by President Kennedy. This reconnaissance mission went missing, with no trace of the plane or its passengers ever found. Onboard were 93 United States Army soldiers, 11 civilian crewmembers, and four Vietnamese citizens. Very little is known about what happened to FTLF 739, its crew, and its passengers.
Due to the circumstances surrounding this mission, the names of those lost have never been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. A private citizen erected the only monument that bears the names of these American heroes, Wreaths Across America founder Morrill Worcester. The monument is located on his tip land in Maine, where balsam is harvested to make veterans’ wreaths placed each December as part of National Wreaths Across America Day – this year on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.
The inscription on the FTLF 739 monument in Maine reads: “Missing in action; Presumed dead. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing on March 16, 1962, with 93 U.S. Army soldiers on board. These men and their flight crew perished in what would become one of the biggest aviation mysteries out of the Vietnam War era.”
This solemn ceremony will share messages and stories about FTLF 739 and pay homage to the crew’s memory. Join us as we come together to remember and honor these selfless individuals and the enduring spirit of courage they exemplified.
National Wreaths Across America Day will be held this year on Saturday, December 14, 2024. This is a free event open to all, and the organization encourages community members to participate by volunteering locally or sponsoring a wreath for an American hero. For $17, you can help sponsor the year-long efforts of Wreaths Across America.
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Wreath Sponsorship
Colonel Adam Rocke, Ret., HOH Ambassador, ARMY (CORP005) |48255|
Did you know that Wreaths Across America now offers recurring sponsorships? You can select the occurrence and cancel or pause anytime! Register now by completing this form! (https://tinyurl.com/n735zrbr)
What does it mean to sponsor a wreath? It means you are supporting a yearlong mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Your sponsorship will support the new and existing programs developed to share the mission. And, it will place a wreath to honor an American hero at one of more than 4,400 participating locations this year on National Wreaths Across America Day – a day set aside to lay gathers as Americans with the same goal.
We can’t do that without your support, though. Your sponsorship will ensure that a wreath is hand-crafted of all-American balsam and hand-tied with a red velvet bow here in Columbia Falls, Maine. It will then be sent to one of our participating locations, where a volunteer will place it on the marker of a hero. That volunteer will then “say their name” to ensure that the legacy of duty, service and sacrifice is never forgotten.
So, what does it mean to sponsor a wreath? It means you have the opportunity to join a grateful nation in saying “thank you” to those who stepped up to serve.
*Please Note: Specific locations designated as "ceremonial-only" accept a limited number of sponsorships. Any additional sponsorships received beyond those used for the ceremony will be distributed to other locations.
