NEW ORLEANS (press release) – On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, The National WWII Museum will offer free admission to veterans of all conflicts and hold a special ceremony to commemorate those who have selflessly served in the US Armed Forces and whose sacrifices must never be forgotten. The Veterans Day Commemoration Ceremony at 11 a.m. is presented by Bank of America and will be live streamed. Featured speakers will include Museum Board of Trustees Vice Chairwoman Suzanne Mestayer; Captain Lena Kaman, USN, Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans; and Kim Guise, Museum Senior Curator and Director for Curatorial Affairs.
In conjunction with the ceremony, the museum will debut Our War Too: Women in Service, a groundbreaking exhibit presented by the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation honoring the nearly 350,000 American women who answered the call to serve their country during World War II. To celebrate this special exhibit, female veterans are invited to attend the Commemoration Ceremony and help lead a second-line parade featuring Belle Chasse Academy’s brass band to the Senator John Alario, Jr. Special Exhibition Hall for a ribbon-cutting and Champagne toast.
Special guests in attendance will include WWII veterans Romay Davis (nee Johnson), a driver in the segregated African American Women’s Army Corps 688th Central Postal Directory Battalion, and Virginia Wilterdink (nee Leeman), a US Army nurse who served with the 314th General Hospital Unit. These trailblazing women are also featured in Our War Too through I Was There interactive biographies.
Our War Too explores the efforts, struggles and accomplishments of WWII servicewomen, the impacts of which extend into the present day. The exhibit will be on display through July 21, 2024, before traveling to other venues across the country.
WHEN: Nov. 11, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center at The National WWII Museum
945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
