USAA Poppy Wall of Honor
The USAA Poppy Wall of Honor is a tribute to the lives of the fallen. On one side, the wall features stories, quotes and achievements of those who gave all for our country. As you turn the corner, the wall holds more than 600,000 poppies — one for each life given since WWI. You can visit the USAA Poppy Wall of Honor during Memorial Day weekend on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Video Duration: 1 minute 23 seconds
00:00
[Opens with peaceful music]
[Speaker 1]
You know, the real reason for Memorial Day is to remember, to remember those that didn't come home.
00:07
[The words "The USAA Poppy Wall of Honor is a tribute to the fallen. A place to stop and reflect on their sacrifice." appear on screen]
00:12
[Speaker 2]
Freedom isn't free, and those poppies represent the currency that was spent for us to have this way of life.
00:20
[Speaker 3]
So I lost a Battle Buddy two Septembers ago. He was my battle buddy in Iraq. And so, I try to honor him by doing things like these.
00:31
[Speaker 4]
I think it's just important for us to tell our kids what that means. It's about remembering those people who really fought for those values that we have as a country.
00:39
[Speaker 5]
To see 600,000 poppies, that's going to be a memory for life.
00:44
[Speaker 6]
Even like the quotes where there was, like their direct words, how they were feeling, it really like puts into perspective how much they gave up.
00:49
[Speaker 7]
You could see numbers and just think like, oh, like, it's just like numbers. But then you realize that every night. Number represents someone who had, like a family, and the frames family copes and stuff like that, so really highlights their life.
01:02
[Speaker 8]
It was incredibly moving to see the people that gave their life and hopefully honoring that.
01:09
[Speaker 1]
It’s some wonderful conversations to be had around the wall. There's no other place that I would rather be to celebrate Memorial Day. And if we don't remember, then who else is going to?
01:22
[The words, "This Memorial Day Let’s honor all they gave." Appear on screen]
More ways to honor the fallen
During Memorial Day and always, the most important way to honor those who gave everything is to remember them and make time to reflect on their sacrifice.
Wear a poppy
Pinning a red poppy on your shirt or lapel is a time-honored tradition to show remembrance on Memorial Day.
Fly the Stars and Stripes
Fly the flag at half-staff from sunrise until noon to honor the fallen, then raise it to full-staff until sunset to pay tribute to surviving veterans and current service members.
Observe the National Moment of Silence
At 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, spend one minute to reflect on and remember those who lost their lives in the line of service.
Visit a memorial
Honor the ultimate sacrifice our nation’s heroes have made by visiting one of our national memorials or cemeteries.