USAA Remembers and Honors America’s Fallen Service Members with the Return of the Poppy Wall of Honor to the National Mall

600,000 poppies displayed in a powerful tribute to the true meaning of Memorial Day

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This Memorial Day weekend, USAA’s Poppy Wall of Honor will return to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the seventh year. The temporary exhibit features more than 600,000 poppies, each representing the military members lost in service to our country since World War I. In a time where less than half of US adults understand the significance of the holiday¹, the Poppy Wall serves as a visual tribute that honors those that made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, while educating visitors on the purpose of Memorial Day.

“The Poppy Wall of Honor stands as a powerful reminder that behind every poppy is a service member who gave their life in service to our country – and a family forever changed by that sacrifice,” said Juan C. Andrade, President & CEO of USAA. “Memorial Day is a time to pause, reflect and honor those who never came home. We share a responsibility to remember their service and the freedoms they helped protect.”

In addition to USAA’s Poppy Wall of Honor, USAA will be sponsoring an Honor Flight from Denver to Washington, D.C. with the Honor Flight of Southern Colorado, where over 50 veterans from the Vietnam and Korean Wars will get to experience the Poppy Wall and the many monuments across our nation’s capital. For many of these heroes, this will be their first time visiting the monuments constructed in honor of their unwavering service.

Inspired by “In Flanders Fields,” a World War I poem by John McCrae, the poppy became a universal symbol of remembrance, after it was brought forward by Moina Michael, an American professor and volunteer for the American YWCA, during the National American Legion Conference in 1920.

Since 2018, more than 60,000 people from around the world have visited the Poppy Wall of Honor to pause and reflect on the significance of this holiday, remembering those who gave their lives for our freedoms.

Ways to Honor and Remember This Memorial Day

For those unable to visit the Poppy Wall of Honor in Washington, D.C., USAA is offering other ways that Americans can honor the day, including:

• Discover stories of the fallen with #PoppyInMemory on social media and join the conversation to keep their memory alive.
• Wear a poppy on your shirt or lapel.
• Fly the American flag at half-staff until noon on Monday, May 25, to honor those who have fallen, and raise it to full staff through sunset to pay tribute to surviving veterans and those currently serving.
• Observe the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.
• Visit a local military memorial to honor the ultimate sacrifice of our nation’s heroes.

Visitors in Washington, D.C., can experience the Poppy Wall of Honor beginning at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, May 22, through 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 24. Full operating hours, location details, additional information, and stories about Memorial Day can be found at usaa.com/memorialday.

¹ USAA. (2024, May 21). Memorial Day: New Survey Reveals Less Than Half of U.S. Adults Understand True Meaning of the Holiday. USAA. https://newsroom.usaa360.com/news/memorial-day-new-survey-reveals-less-than-half-of-u-s-adults-understand-true-meaning-of-the-holiday

About USAA

Founded in 1922 by a group of military officers, USAA is among the leading providers of insurance, banking and retirement solutions and serves 14 million members of the U.S. military, veterans who have honorably served and their families. Headquartered in San Antonio, USAA has offices in eight U.S. cities and three overseas locations and employs more than 38,000 people worldwide. Each year, the company contributes to national and local nonprofits in support of military families and communities where employees live and work. For more information about USAA, follow us on Facebook, Instagram or X (@USAA), or visit usaa.com.