National Home Front Heroes Day in the United States Date in the current year: May 9, 2024

While service members are fighting abroad, millions of people back home work to support them. The civilian population and activities of a nation whose armed forces are engaged in war abroad are referred to as the “home front”. The importance of nationwide civilian support for the war effort first became apparent during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Home front played a crucial role in the Allied victories in the First and Second World Wars. The United States home front during WWI mobilized the country’s entire economy and population to produce ammunition and food supplies, as well as to raise money for the armed forces. During World War II, Allied nations efficiently and successfully mobilized their domestic populations and industries to contribute to the war effort, which was an important factor in the eventual Allied victory.

The civilian contribution to the war effort includes, but is not limited to, businesses shifting to military production, women joining the production lines to manufacture weapons and munitions, rationing goods, hosting charitable food and medical drives, volunteering, etc. A lot of home front heroes continue to volunteer in their communities, participate in charitable organizations, and provide relief work even after the war is over, helping support service members and their families.

National Home Front Heroes was created in 2019 by the then 97-year-old WWII veteran John “Lucky” Luckadoo. Lucky wanted to acknowledge the civilians who supported him back home during his service, as well as to honor all the people on the home front who do what they can to make it possible for service members to prevail.

There are a lot of observances that honor service members and their families — Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Gold Star Mother’s Day, Silver Star Service Banner Day and even Hug a G. I. Day — but until Luckadoo’s proposal, there was no day devoted to recognizing the hard work, dedication, support and sacrifices of millions of home front heroes.

The inaugural celebration of National Home Front Heroes Day was held on May 9, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. It took place at Presbyterian Village North, a non-profit retirement community where Luckadoo resided. The celebration has been growing ever since, but as of 2022, it has yet to be officially recognized on the federal level.

There are many ways to honor home front heroes and celebrate their contribution. You can petition your city or state officials to recognize the day if they haven’t done it yet, participate in Home Front Hero Day events held in your city or town or plan and host an event of your own, share the stories of home front heroes online, and promote the day on social media using the hashtag #HomeFrontHeroesDay.