WASHINGTON, DC – For the fourth year in a row, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has invited members of the American Merchant Marine Veterans (AMMV) to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Veterans Day, November 11, 2026, to honor U.S. Merchant Marine veterans of World War II. The ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery provide one of our Nation’s most enduring displays of respect for all U.S. veterans.
At the wreath laying ceremony, traditionally held at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the following USMM WWII veterans and their guardians will represent their Merchant Marine shipmates: Charles Mills, served on ships during WWII, including SS Carlton & SS Tillie Lakes; Julian Smith, served on six merchant ships in three different war zones; and Dave Yoho, was a member of the engine room crew aboard the SS Great Meadow. During WWII, our merchant mariners suffered more than 9,500 casualties, yet they kept going to sea, delivering the goods wherever and whenever needed, often without any escort. Theses brave merchant mariners definitely earned their status as United States veterans.
AMMV will be represented at the National Veterans Day ceremonies by Capt. Darin Huggins (president), Capt. Jack Menendez (vice president), Capt. Chris Edyvean (secretary), and Dennis Ng (regional vice president). They will be seated in the audience when remarks from President Donald Trump and senior members of his cabinet are given at the Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater.
In addition to WWII veterans representing the U.S. Merchant Marine at the Veterans Day ceremony, AMMV honors the service of all Merchant Marine veterans who served our nation during military sealift operations. AMMV representatives are proud to recognize the brave men and women of the U.S. Merchant Marine, and their families, who have served our nation honorably in times of peace and war since 1775. This year is the U.S. Merchant Marine’s 251st anniversary, as a result of the colonial merchant mariners’ victory over the British warship HMS Margaretta in Machias Bay, ME on June 12, 1775. This first sea battle of the Revolutionary War has been called the “Lexington of the Seas.”
An honor guard team from The Seafarers’ Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship located in Piney Point, MD will proudly present the American flag, the USMM flag, and the USMM Academy’s battle standard during the parade of colors.
In honor of Merchant Marine veterans from all U.S. war zones, Capt. Huggins said, “The American Merchant Marine Veterans, founded by our World War II merchant mariners in 1984, still tolls the bell of legacy and educates the people of our nation about the vital supply chain operations of our maritime industry that are maintained by resolute and courageous men and women of the United States Merchant Marine.”
Many Merchant Marine veterans and family member are members of AMMV, a non-profit organization serving all U.S. Merchant Marine veterans. Our organization is pleased to be invited by the VA to participate, with other U.S. veterans’ organizations, in the President’s traditional wreath laying ceremony on Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. AMMV is grateful for support from the following agencies and organizations for the 2026 Veterans Day event: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Maritime Administration; Arlington National Cemetery; American Maritime Congress; American Maritime Officers; American Veterans Center; Army & Navy Union USA; International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots; Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association; Matson Navigation; Seafarer’s International Union; Transportation Institute; and USA Maritime.
Capt. Huggins also said, On Veterans Day, America honors U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Naval Armed Guard veterans of WWII and veterans of all U.S. Military Sealift Command operations supported by Merchant Mariners “In Peace and War,’ including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Expeditionary Operations in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, and recent operations in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea. For the fourth year, AMMV is proud that our organization’s veterans and their guardians will represent the heroic contributions of the U.S. Merchant Marine, referred to as America’s “Fourth Arm of Defense,” with regard to military sealift operations and the global maritime leadership of the United States. HEAVE HO!”
Capt. Huggins is available for advance interviews. For additional information, please contact AMMV National Headquarters at: PO Box 220052, Charlotte, North Carolina 28222; Telephone: (980) 202-0736; Email: admin@ammv.us; Website: https://ammv.us/