America’s Gold Star Families, in partnership with the Sgt. Anthony Maddox Memorial, proudly announces the 2026 Fallen Hero Tree of Honor ceremonies across Illinois.

Four Fallen Hero Tree of Honor locations will be illuminated throughout the holiday season, honoring more than 800 military fallen service members from over 40 states, representing all branches of service and conflicts to honor our military. Each tree stands as a symbol of remembrance, honor, hope, and healing for Gold Star families and the communities that support them. In addition to our three hosted Central Illinois locations in Decatur, Peoria, and Bloomington, a new location was initiated in Northern Illinois in 2025 at the Kankakee County Museum.

The program was established to honor our fallen military service members who died while serving on active military duty. Each year, uniquely decorated hero ornaments are placed on Christmas trees to honor and to ensure our military fallen heroes are never forgotten. Each ornament includes the rank, name, birth and date of death, branch, and state of the fallen service member. The ceremonies provide hope and healing for Gold Star Families in the season when all should experience joy. We invite Gold Star families, veterans, and the community to join the ceremonies and assist in placing the ornaments on the trees following the tree lighting ceremony to honor the legacy of our fallen and the sacrifice of Gold Star families.

Fallen Heroes Tree of Honor – Tree Lighting Ceremonies

1. Thursday, November 12, 2026 – 11:00 a.m. – Decatur Civic Center, 1 Gary K Anderson Plaza, Decatur
2. Saturday, November 14, 2026 – 10:00 a.m. – Peoria Riverfront Museum, 222 SW Washington St., Peoria
3. Wednesday, November 18, 2026 – 5:30 p.m. – Central Illinois Regional Airport, 3201 Cira Dr., Bloomington

Fallen Heroes Tree of Honor – available for public viewing only

• Thursday, December 3, 2026 – Kankakee County Museum (Gallery of Trees Exhibition begins), 801 S. 8^th Ave., Kankakee (The museum hours for viewing are Thursday- Sunday 9:00a.m. to 7p.m..)

America’s Gold Star Families is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization created to assist those grieving any military loss through active-duty service. The Fallen Hero Tree of Honor project was initiated in 2016 and continues to empower communities to honor & remember our fallen military, while providing hope and healing for Gold Star Families during the holiday season. The events are made possible through donations made to America’s Gold Star Families. For more information visit www.americasgoldstarfamilies.org or email info@americasgoldstarfamilies.org.

HONOR * HOPE * HEALING