USS Harveson is the Lead Ship in a unique and lasting memorial to ship and crew

For more information, contact:
Jeff McCullough 1-402-474-5655
jmccullough [at] arborday [dot] org

National Arbor Day Foundation Announces
New Tribute to Naval Vessels and Servicemen

Nebraska City, Neb., USA – What began last year as an idea of a former crewmember is now a unique and meaningful tribute to the men who served on the USS Harveson.

Tom Hargest III thought, "Let's find a way to have trees planted every year as a lasting legacy for the sailors and the ship." A call to The National Arbor Day Foundation is what started the new program, christened Ships Remembered.

"This memorial concept of Ships Remembered fits hand-in-glove with the National Arbor Day Foundation's Trees for America® and Trees in Memory programs, and we are so pleased to have the USS Harveson DE/DER-316 Destroyer Escort as the lead ship," said Jeff McCullough, Vice President of Development for the Foundation. "Each year, these memorial trees will replenish the areas of U.S. forests that have been damaged by fire, insects, or disease. Last year our members and supporters enabled the Foundation to plant over 2,000,000 trees in our National Forests."

Simple endowment turns into thousands of trees

Servicemen and women, their families, friends, and individuals who want to create a living legacy make contributions to a Ships Remembered or a Military Units Remembered endowment. As contributions come in, the Arbor Day Foundation establishes and invests the endowment in low-risk investment funds. Each year, 75% of the net return from the previous 12-month period will be used to plant trees in a national forest as part of the Arbor Day Foundation's Trees for America program. 25% of the 12-month net return is added back into the endowment total.

Ship and Crew are remembered every year

"With the endowment, A Ships Remembered tree planting becomes an annual event, year after year, as an on-going memorial," said McCullough. "It's a meaningful way for our veterans to make a contribution to the future and be remembered at the same time."

"This is exactly what I had in mind," said Tom Hargest, a veteran who served on the USS Harveson. "The Arbor Day Foundation was very helpful in creating a living memorial for our ship and her crew that will last indefinitely."

The USS Harveson was built in Orange, Texas and launched in 1943. It was named in honor of Lt. Harold Aloysius Harveson from St. Charles, Louisiana, who died while serving at Pearl Harbor.

Each year, the USS Harveson memorial tree planting will be recorded in the official US National Forest Service Registry. The memorial entry will read, "In memory of the men who served aboard the USS Harveson, DE/DER-316 Destroyer Escort." The Ships Remembered – USS Harveson memorial will also be recognized at the Trees for America Terrace at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska, where it can be observed by nearly 200,000 visitors every year.

Organizations and individuals can get more information on Ships Remembered and Military Units Remembered living tree memorial by contacting The National Arbor Day Foundation, 211 N. 12th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508 or by calling 1-888-448-7337, extension 313.

The National Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.