COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine,
May 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On
March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line
Flight 739 was on a secret mission, but disappeared. On board were
93 United States Army soldiers and 11 civilian crew
members. Very little is known about what happened to the plane
and its passengers, and due to the circumstance surrounding this
mission, the names of those lost have not yet been added to the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington
D.C. However, today many families and loved ones of these
heroes gathered in Columbia Falls,
Maine, where national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA)
is based, to be present for the unveiling of a new monument
dedicated to their service and sacrifice.
Today, a new memorial dedicated to all those onboard Flying Tiger
Line Flight 739 was unveiled in Maine.
The new monument – made entirely of granite, standing 8ft tall,
9.5ft wide, 4ft deep at its base – displays the engraving of each
of the 93 Army soldiers aboard, as well as the names of the 11
flight crew members, many of whom were veterans themselves. The
inscription on the stone 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.
THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND WHO REMAIN
MISSING ARE INSCRIBED HERE SO THAT THEY WILL BE SAID ALOUD AND
THEIR MEMORY WILL LIVE ON."
The land where this monument has been erected was donated by WAA
Founder Morrill Worcester and is
located on the balsam tip land where brush is harvested each year
to make veterans' wreaths to be placed on the headstones of our
nation's heroes on National Wreaths Across America Day. "When I
first heard the story about this mission, I was shocked to learn
that nothing has been done for these families," said Worcester. "I
said that day, that we would do something to make sure these people
are honored and remembered, and to hopefully give some closure to
these families."
The mission of Wreaths Across America is to Remember the fallen,
Honor those that served and their families, and Teach the next
generation the value of freedom. Today's ceremony touched on all
aspects of this as the names of each person aboard Flying Tiger
Line Flight 739 were said out loud, and their names and story were
etched in stone for future generations to learn about their service
and sacrifice.
The video from today's Facebook Live Broadcast can be found on
Wreaths Across America's Official Facebook page here. This is
the first time that many of these families have met one another to
share their stories and experiences stemming from that fateful
day. The story of Flying Tiger Flight line 739 can be found
here.
Leading up to the monument unveiling, interviews with family
members were broadcast on Wreaths Across America Radio. You can
hear their first-hand experiences regarding this historical moment
in our country's history and their emotional reactions to their
family members being honored and remembered, 59 years later.
Wreaths Across America would like to offer a special thanks to
the Worcester family for not only their donation of land, but their
incredible work to prepare the grounds and install this new
monument, as well as commitment to care for it long into the
future.
A full list of names, pictures of the new monument, and broll
from the unveiling ceremony are available upon request.
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
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 thousands of veterans' cemeteries and
other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
For more information please visit
www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Press contacts:
Amber
Caron
acaron@wreathsacrossamerica.org
(207) 513-6457
Sean Sullivan
ssullivan@wreathsacrossamerica.org
(207) 230-4599
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SOURCE Wreaths Across America