COLUMBIA FALLS, ME, March 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday, 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 10:30 am ET at the Vietnam Welcome Home Room in the WAA National Museum. The event will be broadcast live on WAA’s official Facebook page and Wreaths Across America Radio. Wreaths will be placed at the Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 Monument located on the Balsam Valley tip lands in Downeast Maine following the event.
- To watch live on Facebook on Monday, March 16, at 10:30 am ET, click here.
- To listen live on Wreaths Across America Radio, click here.
- To learn more about FTLF 739, view this video.
Sixty-four 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.
“For my own family and so many others like us, there have been no answers, no closure,” said Jennifer Kirk, niece of SP4 Donald “Duckie” Sargent, who was onboard FTLF 739. “But coming together each year to say their names and honor their service and sacrifice helps us all in our collective healing. We know that Wreaths Across America will ensure their memory lives on long after we are all gone, and the next generation will know their stories.”
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. 19, 2026.
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.
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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 in communities in all 50 states and beyond. Each $17 sponsorship supports far more than a single wreath. It fuels programs that honor veterans, teach future generations, and give back to communities nationwide.
Visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org to learn more about how you can get involved in your local community.
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Amber Caron Wreaths Across America 2075136457 acaron@wreathsacrossamerica.org
