Anthony J. Tata, undersecretary of war for personnel and readiness, placed the inaugural wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial today.
He was assisted by Morrill Worcester and his grandson, Air Force Airman Miles Worcester.
On National Wreaths Across America Day, which is tomorrow, volunteers lay wreaths on headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, as well as at thousands of Department of Veterans Affairs national cemeteries across the U.S. and cemeteries overseas.
Tata thanked Worcester and his wife, Karen, the founders of Wreaths Across America, for their long-standing commitment to the fallen.
"Their mission, to remember and honor these heroes and to teach the next generation the importance of freedom, is directly in line with our values as a department and as a nation," Tata said.
As a combat veteran of Afghanistan, Tata said he knows the many sacrifices service members have made in defense of the nation, and he appreciates the continued dedication to their memory.
Organizing today's event was the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a department office that promotes cooperation and partnership between National Guard and Reserve service members and their civilian employers.
Among the attendees were many industry employers of service members and their loved ones, including many representatives of the trucking industry.
"Your businesses are the backbone of our supply chains and a lifeline of our economy, moving goods and connecting communities," he told them.
In a previous role, Tata created the Troops-to-Truckers program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to help place transitioning warriors, guardsmen and reservists in their companies.
"It is an accomplishment that I am particularly proud of and one of the reasons why I am so appreciative of the statements of support that you signed last night. I know what a tremendous difference they can make for our men and women in uniform," he said.
Last night, more than 100 transportation and other industry employers signed statements of support with the War Department's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, pledging their organizations' continued support for their employees and families, and encouraging opportunities to employ guardsmen, reservists, transitioning service members and veterans.
"By supporting these citizen-warriors, you are enabling them to answer the call to serve when their country needs them most and to protect the freedom that 184 Americans at the Pentagon — and so many others — have died defending," he said.