Fallen Heroes
Trees of Honor Program
For families and loved ones of fallen heroes, the holidays can bring a deeper feeling of sadness and loss. To remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, it is our privilege to create unique ornaments representing fallen heroes across the USA who died while on active-duty, to hang on our “Fallen Heroes Trees of Honor.” The Trees of Honor are on display in three public venues in Central Illinois from November through January to make sure the families of our Fallen Heroes know their heroes will never be forgotten.
We have more than 400 ornaments on each tree representing the fallen from over 40 states and conflicts dating back to the Civil War. Every year as more families learn about the program, our list of honorees expands, and we add new ornaments to the trees, bringing hope and healing in the season of joy.
How to Register
To register to have a personalized ornament created for your fallen hero, follow these simple steps:
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Click the Fallen Heroes Trees of Honor Ornament Registration button at the top of our home page
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Complete the registration form.
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Upload a picture of your loved one using a jpg format
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Please also upload an appropriate report of military service and casualty (i.e. DD1300) or link to an article (i.e. military times or other media release to confirm active-duty status.)
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Click the submit button
And that’s it! We will create a special ornament for your fallen hero.
Or if you prefer to, create your own, you can send an unbreakable personalized ornament instead. Be sure to include your hero’s branch, full name, date of birth and death, the branch of service, and State represented. Please send the ornament to: Fallen Heroes Tree of Honor Project, 2301 Interlocken Dr., Bloomington, Il 61704.
Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
Every year, the hero ornaments will be displayed on our Fallen Heroes Trees of Honor, currently at three of our hosted locations in central Illinois:
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Peoria Riverfront Museum (14 foot tree)
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Decatur Civic Center (two 9-foot trees)
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Central Illinois Regional Airport, Bloomington (two 9-foot trees)
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Peoria, IL
Decatur, IL
Bloomington, IL
Each November, there is a Tree Lighting Ceremony at each location, and all are invited to attend. Family members of the fallen in attendance can personally place their ornaments on the tree during the ceremony, and all other ornaments from across the US are lovingly hung by those in attendance. Pictures of the events are then posted on our website for all families to view.
A link to the details for the time and place of each ceremony will be added to the homepage of our website later this year as the details are confirmed. As the program grows, we expect to add Trees of Honor in new states and locations.
Let us help you honor your fallen loved one by adding a special ornament to remember their service to our country.
Important Privacy Guidelines
America’s Gold Star Families is committed to maintaining the privacy of our donors and of all persons who participate in any of the programs or services offered by our organization, and the information collected as described above is used only for the stated purposes of the programs offered.” Click here to read our full Privacy Notice.