2026 News

Gettysburg Foundation today announced a $10,000 matching challenge for A Field of Remembrance, inviting supporters to double the impact of their commemorative flag sponsorships while helping create a powerful landscape of remembrance for those affected by the Battle of Gettysburg. The challenge gives new and returning supporters another opportunity to participate as the campaign continues through Veterans Day.

Thanks to a generous matching challenge from Matching Sponsor & Longtime Friend of Gettysburg Robert M. Geneczko, eligible flag sponsorships will be matched dollar for dollar through Sept. 30, 2026. The challenge builds on the campaign's strong launch, made possible through the early leadership of Lead Sponsor & Longtime Friend of Gettysburg John E. Cronin.

Building on early community support, the matching challenge encourages even more individuals, families, businesses and organizations to participate before Veterans Day.

Each commemorative American flag sponsored for $18.63—a reference to the year of the battle—becomes part of A Field of Remembrance, a temporary installation of thousands of American flags displayed near the Eternal Light Peace Memorial from Nov. 12–23, 2026. The field reflects the estimated number of soldiers killed during the battle while remembering all whose lives were forever changed by the Battle of Gettysburg.

“I hope this challenge encourages thousands more people to take part,” said Cronin. “Every flag represents someone whose story deserves to be remembered.”

More than 51,000 Americans were killed, wounded, captured or missing during the Battle of Gettysburg, the deadliest battle ever fought on American soil. Together, the sponsored flags transform history into a powerful landscape of remembrance, making the battle's human cost visible in a way statistics alone cannot.

"Gettysburg asks each generation to remember what was sacrificed here and what it still requires of us," said Barbara Sardella, interim president and CEO of Gettysburg Foundation. "Every new sponsorship helps transform history into a place of remembrance while ensuring Gettysburg's stories continue to inspire future generations."

Geneczko said he hopes the challenge inspires broad participation.

"A Field of Remembrance reminds us that behind every casualty was a person, a family and a story," Geneczko said. "I hope this matching gift inspires others to remember those affected by the Battle of Gettysburg while helping preserve the places where those stories continue to be told."

Commemorative flag sponsorships support Gettysburg Foundation's preservation and education work in partnership with the National Park Service, including stewardship of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and the preservation of the David Wills House, where Abraham Lincoln completed the Gettysburg Address.

Participants may sponsor one or more flags, with tribute naming available at all sponsorship levels. Sponsors of 25 or more flags will also be recognized on Gettysburg Foundation's website and inside the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center. Together, those sponsorships create a field shaped entirely by public participation, one flag at a time.

Eligible sponsorships will be matched through Sept. 30, while matching funds remain available. Flag sponsorships continue through Veterans Day. To sponsor one or more commemorative flags or learn more, visit GettysburgFoundation.org/A-Field-of-Remembrance.

Beginning Nov. 12, thousands of commemorative flags will stand near the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, transforming history into a powerful landscape of remembrance that invites visitors to reflect on the human cost of the battle and the enduring responsibility to remember. As A Field of Remembrance continues to grow through Veterans Day, each new sponsorship adds another visible act of remembrance—one flag, one story and one shared commitment to preserving Gettysburg's legacy for future generations.