Hassan seeks to enshrine flowers for U.S. burial sites overseas
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Jul. 29—WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., is proposing bipartisan legislation to enshrine in federal law a program that allowed Gold Star family members to order flowers to be placed at their loved ones' burial sites overseas.
The program had been discontinued in 2015; upon learning of this near the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, President Joe Biden ordered that it be restarted.
The proposed Flowers for Fallen Heroes Act of 2024 from Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Hassan would make the program permanent and not require an incoming administration to support it.
"We must always continue the work of honoring American service members who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be safe, secure, and free," Hassan said.
The flowers are placed by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) on the graves at American military cemeteries overseas such as the Normandy American Cemetery where U.S. World War II veterans are buried.
American veterans are buried at 26 overseas cemeteries around the world.
Biden administration officials said they are moving quickly to get the program back online early in the next federal budget year that begins Oct. 1.
"The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) supports passage of the Flowers for Fallen Heroes Act of 2024 to assist families and other members of this grateful nation in remembering our fallen warriors and the sacrifices they made long ago on far away battlefields," said Nancy Springer, associate director of the VFW National Legislative Service.
The legislation will formally authorize the AMBC's flower ordering program, allow credit card payments and electronic fund transfers to be used and require the ABMC to submit yearly reports to Congress.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Hassan both attended the ceremonies at Normandy to mark the anniversary of the June 6, 1944 landing of American forces on French shore, a pivotal turning point in World War II.
