COLUMBIA FALLS, ME — February 19, 2024 – 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.
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. Presently, 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 that are 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 poignant 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.
- To watch live on Facebook or share the ceremony on March 16, at noon ET, use this link: https://fb.me/e/3irk53Hbw
- To listen live on Wreaths Across America Radio, click here.
- To learn more about FTLF 739, view this video.
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.
For more information, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
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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 yearlong mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
For more information or to sponsor a wreath, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.