Close-up of a crumpled American flag with visible white stars on a blue field and red and white stripes.

Where Every Sacrifice is Remembered.

Preserving the legacies of service members who died in the line of duty beyond combat.

Our Mission

To honor and preserve the memory of servicemembers who lost their lives in training, domestic operations, or other in-the-line-of-duty incidents by advocating for national recognition, supporting their families, and educating the public about their sacrifice and service to our nation.

Our Keystone

On October 9, 1971, a UH-1F "Huey" helicopter departed Ellsworth Air Force Base on a routine mission: transporting Security Police personnel for a changeover at intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) away from the base. Yet what began as routine ended in tragedy.

The helicopter crashed in an open field roughly 11 miles north of Wall, South Dakota, near the entrance of one of the launch control facilities.

The tragedy promoted operational changes. Following the crash, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing revised its policies: routine crew changeovers by helicopter would no longer be permitted unless road condition were impassable due to weather.

While the policy change addresses operational safety, it did not address another consequence of the crash which was the absence of lasting national recognition for those who died.