This May, the United War Veterans Council is proud to help organize HOMECOMING ’21, a national initiative dedicated to remembering the return home of 44,000 fallen Americans after World War I.
QUICKLINKS: HOMECOMING ’21 Map | GORUCK Patch
116,000 Americans lost their lives in World War One. Over 80,000 died overseas from combat, illness, and other causes.
After the war, 44,000 were transported home from France and Belgium aboard homecoming ships that brought them back to New York Harbor. From there, they were sent on to their final resting places across the country. The May 1921 arrival of one ship, the USAT Wheaton, was chosen for an official national commemoration ceremony. One week before Memorial Day, President Harding welcomed home the more than 5,000 men and women brought back on that voyage, and paid tribute to all of America’s returning war dead.
This May, 100 years later, HOMECOMING ‘21 invites you to join us in marking the centennial of that ceremony, and remembering the return home of America’s World War I fallen.
To participate, simply visit the gravesite of one of the Wheaton returnees, and pay tribute to their memory. » Map of burials
For our ruck community friends, UWVC has helped set up a special GORUCK patch; check it out! » GORUCK Patch
You can make HOMECOMING ‘21 part of your plans for Memorial Day Weekend, or you can do this as a separate activity before or after Memorial Day. By participating, you’ll not only honor our World War I fallen; you’ll join a nationwide effort to remember one of the things that unites us as Americans — our shared history of service, sacrifice and loss.