The Sacred Soil Tour

Remembrance across generations…

In May 2026, six American Gold Star Mothers who have lost children in Post-9/11 conflicts and other recent operations will travel overseas to gather soil to place inside the restored Borne de Terre Sacrée (Sacred Soil Marker) at Arlington National Cemetery.

The delegation of mothers will visit our nation’s World War I battlefields and cemeteries in France and Flanders (Belgium). During their journey, the mothers will:

• Visit and collect soil from all of the U.S. World War I cemeteries on the Western Front
• Share the stories of their own lost children
• Meet representatives and youth from communities that still remember the sacrifice of America’s WWI generation.
• Connect with French mothers who have themselves lost children in military service 

This sacred journey will connect today’s Gold Star families to their historical legacy, and reaffirm America’s commitment to honoring and remembering those who served and sacrificed.