ABMC Secretary Charles K. Djou testified this week before the U.S. House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs regarding H.R. 8792, the Flowers for Fallen Heroes Act of 2024.

The legislation would require ABMC to establish and administer a program for the order and placement of floral arrangements executed by third-party regional florists.

“Whether or not this legislation passes, it is the intent of the ABMC to implement this Flower Fund project and we will do so forthwith,” said Secretary Djou.

Secretary Djou emphasized to the subcommittee members that ABMC has always welcomed and continues to encourage the placement of flowers at the gravesites of those interred or memorialized in the Commission’s overseas cemeteries.

In 2015, the ABMC Floral Fund Program changed and ABMC no longer processed new floral orders. For the past nine years, constituents have been asked to place flower orders directly with a local or international florist.

In June 2024, ABMC was given the authority to resume processing orders for the placement of flowers in the Commission’s overseas cemeteries, as a public service for those who wish to honor family members in this manner. The agency has begun the planning for development of a streamlined and secure floral order process that will accept credit card and electronic fund transfer payments.

“We consider it a privilege to have been given the honor of caring for our nation’s war heroes buried overseas, to be the guardian of their legacy, and we take that responsibility to heart,” Secretary Djou noted in his testimony.

“Reintroduction of an ABMC flower program will further that mission.”

Secretary Djou’s written testimony before the subcommittee can be viewed here.