Wreaths Across America and American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., continue to collaborate to build patriotic awareness and share stories of service and sacrifice. COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine and WASHINGTON D.C. – Feb. 4, 2025 – Today, Wreaths Across America (WAA) and American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. (AGSM), announce a recommittal to the formal partnership the two nonprofits established in 2016.
An updated memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by both organizations’ leadership on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, the day before the annual escort to Arlington kicked off in Maine. The agreement outlines several key areas, such as collaborative volunteer efforts and fundraising in communities across the country; a weekly interview segment for AGSM on Wreaths Across America Radio; and naming Wreaths Across America Radio an exclusive media partner for AGSM’s annual convention each June; among the re-establishment of collaboration in the existing partnership. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Columbia Falls, Maine, WAA’s yearlong mission is to Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. AGSM was established in 1928 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1984 with the core purpose of supporting families of fallen and wounded soldiers, teaching lessons of patriotism and inspiring respect for the country. “Over the years, I’ve learned so much from our nation’s Gold Star families and am grateful for AGSM’s support of the mission all these years,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of WAA. “Both organizations have evolved and grown over the last eight years, so the recommittal of our partnership is both timely and important as our combined efforts will no doubt help to shape and inform the next generation of patriots.” “Wreaths Across America’s mission perfectly aligns with AGSM’s mission. We are proud to partner with their army of volunteers across the country,” said Patti Elliott, National President, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., and mother of SPC Daniel “Lucas” Elliott, KIA Basra, Iraq, 7/15/2011. “What started as one man’s generous gesture to honor heroes at Arlington has become a nationwide movement to ensure all our servicemembers are remembered and to educate all about the sacrifices our brave men and women are making every day.” Follow the impactful stories of service and sacrifice as shared by Gold Star families by tuning in to Wreaths Across America Radio, available on the iHeart Radio app, TuneIn, and the Audacy app, or listen at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio. Wreaths Across America Radio regularly features Gold Star mothers. You can catch up on past interviews or listen anytime on the Wreaths Radio SoundCloud page. National Wreaths Across America Day will be held this year on Saturday, December 13, 2025. This free event is open to all, and the organization encourages community members to participate by volunteering locally or sponsoring a wreath for an American hero. # # # About Wreaths Across America Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, which was begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s yearling mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December in communities in all 50 states and beyond. For more information or to sponsor a wreath, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. About the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. (AGSM) is an organization of mothers who lost a son or daughter in service to the country. AGSM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, established in 1928 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1984. As a Veterans Service Organization, AGSM supports veterans and their families through a broad range of activities and programs. Members also participate in patriotic events. To accomplish its widespread mission, members are active in chapters across the United States. For more information, please visit www.americangoldstarmothers.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Press contact: Rachael Wilson, WAA (207) 230-4599 [email protected]
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Four Chaplains Day, observed on February 3rd each year, commemorates the heroic actions of four military chaplains during World War II. On February 3, 1943, the troop ship SS Dorchester was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the North Atlantic. As the ship sank, these four chaplains selflessly sacrificed their lives to save others, demonstrating extraordinary courage and unity in the face of adversity.
Four Chaplains Day is a day to honor the memory and legacy of four brave chaplains: George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode, John P. Washington, and Clark V. Poling. These men, representing different faiths and backgrounds, came together in an act of unity and selflessness that serves as a symbol of courage and compassion. Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown SoldierThe Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery is a gravesite and national shrine for unknown soldiers from World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Established originally by legislation, the body of an unidentified American soldier from World War I was buried in 1921. This was in accordance with an international movement to recognize those who gave their lives and identities, and perhaps were still missing, on the battlefields of World War I, which saw combat and violence rise to levels never before imaginable. Each crypt also represents those unidentified or still missing from the from the wars they memorialize.
Specially selected and trained Sentinels, often referred to as Tomb Guards, protect the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier each day. They carry on the tradition of Americans who guarded the Unknowns in the past, including the posting of civilian guards in 1925, military guards in 1926, and 24-hour military guards, who have performed the duty perpetually since 1937.
VA expands access to Veterans Legacy Memorial, allowing Veterans to chronicle their life story1/17/2025 WASHINGTON — Today the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expanded the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) — the nation’s largest digital platform dedicated to the memory of Veterans and service members — to allow Veterans to tell their own story before they pass away. The new “Your Story, Your Legacy” feature will allow Veterans who have been approved for VA’s pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA national cemetery to log in to a secure website where they can privately submit images, autobiographies, military and life milestones, and historical documents.
One of the biggest challenges to any nonprofit organization is keeping their members motivated and engaged. All our members are here for the same purpose, furthering our mission of keeping our child’s memory alive through service to others. But what that looks like may differ from person to person.
We all have those members we know will show up for every meeting and every event and some of us have members we have never met in person. It’s really difficult for our members who are in states where there aren’t organized chapters or leadership to feel connected and like they’re making a difference. #spaceforcebirthdayThe U.S. Space Force's birthday is on December 20th. The Space Force became the sixth branch of the U.S. military on December 20, 2019, when the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act was enacted. How to celebrate Space Force BirthdayThe National D-Day Memorial
On December 20, 2025, the National D-Day Memorial will celebrate the Space Force's birthday from 10 AM–5 PM EST. Space Force veterans will receive free admission, and active-duty service members always receive free admission. The National WWII Museum On December 20, 2023, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA will celebrate the Space Force's birthday by offering free general admission to active-duty members, reserve members, retirees, and veterans Kyle didn’t realize how seriously he had been affected until he came home.
“I had to do all that Christmas shopping,” the U.S. Army combat Veteran remembers. “Something that seemed so innocent — being in a crowded mall — that was a tough circumstance to be under,” Kyle says. Jim had a similar experience when he returned from Operation Restore Hope, a humanitarian mission in Somalia. After he was injured, he left the Marine Corps, but the emotional scars didn’t leave him. “Christmastime, he would just sit in the room away from everybody or walk into a different room if a large crowd came in,” recalls his wife, Terri, a Navy Veteran. Although Kyle and Jim didn’t share the same combat experience or diagnosis, they both found themselves feeling on edge around the holidays. That’s not unusual. While stress responses can be triggered anywhere, anytime, for many Veterans, the places, the music and noises, increased social interaction, and familiar smells that come with major holidays are particularly difficult. Crowds of people — whether strangers at a holiday parade or loved ones at a party — can add to the pressure. At the same time, the absence of traditional holiday festivities — whether the result of homelessness, loss of a loved one, isolation, or any number of conditions — can also trigger unhealthy responses such as anxiety, depression, or problems with drugs or alcohol. No matter when they fall on the calendar, holidays can be reminders of happier times, before relationships were difficult or transitioning from military service meant returning to a familiar setting as a different person. Jim had issues with anger, sleep, and hypervigilance for years, and when his marriage ended, it became too much for him to bear. “It all crashed at one time,” he says. “That's when I started getting real treatment from my posttraumatic stress disorder.” Kyle had sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a grenade blast during his deployment in Afghanistan, affecting both his mental and physical health. When he got home, he says, “I scanned every room I would go into. I sat with my back against a wall. I never, never let anyone come up from behind on me, anything like that.” For Hal, a Marine Corps Veteran who served in Vietnam, the year-end holidays marked an annual pattern of unhealthy behaviors. “Every winter, starting in like September, I would start down into depression, and I would bottom out about Christmastime,” he says. Hal survived major depression and a suicide attempt before he found himself in treatment more than 20 years after leaving the Marines. “They said, ‘You need to go to the PTSD program,’” Hal remembers. “And so I did this 90-day inpatient program. I’ve learned how to deal with my depression, and I’ve learned how to deal with my rage and my anger.” Hal found solace in support groups and group therapy, starting with Narcotics Anonymous, which helped him stop using drugs. He eventually found the mental health resources he needed through VA. “Getting involved in the VA put me back in touch with other combat Vets,” Hal says. “That’s a huge part of normalizing who I was and realizing that I wasn’t alone in this process.” Kyle, too, finds comfort in forging connections with other Veterans. “I think you get a little bitter, knowing that you had seen things that 99.9% of the population hadn’t seen,” he says. “So for me, it was 31 other guys that I knew that could relate, but a lot of us were having a hard time adjusting. We were trained well for war, but we weren’t really trained to come home.” In addition to finding a kinship with his fellow Veterans, Kyle learned strategies at VA that helped him cope with the light sensitivity, irritability, memory lapses, and debilitating headaches that came with his TBI. “I can sit with my back to the door if it comes down to it. I don’t scan every room. I don’t get as irritated with the general public as much. I can handle questions, about my service — about what it was like over there,” Kyle says. “And I’ve definitely noticed it’s a lot easier now to handle that. And you have your bad days, but I know how to cope a lot better nowadays because of the treatment that I sought and that I received from the VA.” For Jim, therapy at VA has quelled his anger, improved his marriage to Terri, and allowed him to enjoy life more. “He’s out more in public, a lot more,” Terri says. “Prior to that, he didn’t really like to go anywhere — he tried to avoid crowds. And now, like at Christmas, he is actually in the crowd with everybody opening presents, talking to people. So, it has helped out a lot.” If you need help getting through the holidays, or anytime, connect with local resources for Veterans. Veterans in crisis and their families and friends may also contact the Veterans Crisis Line, which connects them with qualified, caring VA responders. Veterans and their loved ones can Dial 988 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. “We owe it to our brothers and sisters that didn’t come home to make sure that we take care of ourselves,” says Kyle. Tampa Bay Chapter, FloridaAGSM, Inc. Tampa Bay / VAVS CDCE Rep FH dinner
Submitted by Toni Gross AGSM, Inc., Tampa Bay VAVS CDCE Chairman In 2017, I attended my first Westgate Foundation Military Appreciation Weekend. I was invited during my first week as the Department President of FL-PR, and it marked my first official opportunity to build relationships outside my local chapter. Every year, the Westgate Foundation provides vacations to eligible active-duty military members, veterans, and Gold Star families. These families enjoy a three-day, two-night, stress-free weekend filled with family-friendly activities, live music, and patriotic displays at the Westgate property in Kissimmee, Florida. Additionally, various veteran service organizations, including American Gold Star Mothers, set up tables for a one-day resource fair. Many of these organizations focus on managing PTSD through counseling, equine therapy, and the use of service dogs. Seven years later, that initial opportunity has allowed me to connect with numerous individuals from various veteran service organizations. They share a common vision and a commitment to the same goals as AGSM, Inc. If you attended our 2021 national convention in West Palm Beach, you may remember that the Westgate Foundation was a sponsor. Since then, the Foundation has generously donated to the Department of FL-PR. With these donations, we established our own Chapter Grants for veteran service projects, similar to our National Chapter Grant program, and named it the Georgie Carter-Krell Grant. This past weekend, my Gold Star sisters, Lorrie Fleming and Sandy Miller, managed the resource table, after which we attended the concert. It was during this event that we received a generous $10,000 donation! Just imagine how many veterans we can support with that funding! Annette M Kirk
National 1st Vice President American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. Proud Gold Star Mother of PFC Paul O Cuzzupe II, US Army 12/2/86 - 8/8/10 “Standing in the Gap” #NationalGuardBirthdayDecember 13th commemorates the National Guard Birthday. On December 13th, 1636, the Massachusetts General Court established an official militia for the first time in the American Colonies. A component of the United States Army, the National Guard is primarily composed of citizen-soldiers who hold down full-time, civilian jobs, attend school, or as is often the case, both. At the same time, they are available to provide support and protection for the states' civilians or be called for military operations at a national level. Each U.S. state, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories of Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands maintain both an Army National Guard and an Air National Guard. HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL GUARD BIRTHDAYWhile not recognized as a Federal Holiday, National Guard members across the country celebrate the birth of the oldest military organization in the United States with galas, balls, and birthday parties. Since the National Guard is an integral part of each state, commonwealth, and territory, we all have a reason to celebrate this birthday! Take time to recognize a National Guard soldier or airman you know.
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