78th Anniversary of D-Day
June 4
- Memorial Open 10AM-5PM (Regular admission fees apply.)
- Citadel Plaque Dedication 10:30AM
- WWII Illustrator Ken Smith Meet the Artist 3PM-5PM at Electric Co Art, 207 E. Depot St., Bedford
- 29th Division Band Concert – 6PM (Free admission starting at 5PM.)
June 5
- Memorial Open 10AM-5PM (Regular admission fees apply.)
- D-Day Society Dinner 5:30PM (Private event, invitation only.)
June 6
- Free Memorial Admission until NOON
- Commemoration Ceremony – 11AM
- Book signing with Dr. John C. McManus following ceremony
June 6 Keynote Speaker – Dr. John C. McManus
Dr. John C. McManus is Curators’ Distinguished Professor of U.S. Military History at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). This professorship is bestowed by the University of Missouri Board of Curators on the most outstanding scholars in the University of Missouri system. McManus is the first-ever Missouri S&T faculty member in the humanities to be named Curators’ Distinguished Professor. As one of the nation’s leading military historians and the author of 13 well-received books on the topic, he is in frequent demand as a speaker and expert commentator.
In addition to dozens of local and national radio programs, he has appeared on CNN.com Fox News, C-SPAN, the Military Channel, the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, Netflix, the Smithsonian Network, the History Channel and PBS, among others. He also served as historical advisor for the best-selling book and documentary Salinger, the latter of which appeared nationwide in theaters and on PBS’s American Masters series. McManus hosts the National D-Day Memorial’s newly launched Someone Talked! podcast.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, he was in residence at the U.S. Naval Academy as the Leo A Shifrin Chair of Naval and Military History, a distinguished visiting professorship. His latest book Island Infernos: The U.S. Army’s Pacific War Odyssey, 1944 was released in November 2021 and his previous book, Fire and Fortitude: The U.S. Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943 received the Gilder Lehrman Prize for military history, the most prestigious literary award in the field. McManus has published The Dead and Those About to Die, D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach, The Americans at D-Day and The Americans at Normandy among others.
Gates open at 10:00AM on June 6.
Bring a chair.
No coolers or pets, except service animals.
Call (540) 586-3329 for more information.
The National D-Day Memorial Foundation thanks the sponsors of the 78th Anniversary of D-Day commemoration:
