Archive Blog & News

Every Veteran Has A Story

Every veteran has a story. No matter when they served, where they served, or how long they served, every story has value. This is the driving belief behind the Virginia War Memorial’s Oral History Project. Our goal is simple and straightforward: collect and preserve the story of Virginia’s veterans in …

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Remembering V-J Day 75 Years Later

On September 2, Imperial Japan signed surrender documents aboard the USS, putting an end to World War II. President Truman declared that September 2 was officially V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day. News of Japan’s surrender, however, reached both American troops and the American public several weeks earlier. On …

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A View of V-E Day from the Pacific

As we approach the 75th Anniversary of “Victory in Europe” (V-E) Day, I thought that I would take a look at the material in the archives and spotlight a view that we may not normally look for: how V-E Day was received by our troops in the Pacific. This is …

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Month of the Military Child

Each April, children of our servicemen and women are recognized during the Month of the Military Child. Established in 1986 by then Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, the initiative has been continued by the Department of Defense ever since. While this recognition has only been around for a little over 30 …

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Remembering Pearl Harbor

Seventy-eight years ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. In the attack, more than 2,000 Americans were killed and more than 1,000 were wounded. Proclaimed “a date which will live in infamy” by President Roosevelt, the attack was the event that led to the United States’ formal declaration of war against …

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What’s on the Table?

Our country’s Thanksgiving celebrations have been acknowledged by our leaders since the 18th century. In 1789 George Washington proclaimed a nationwide day of thanks and prayer. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that the last Thursday in November would be a national day of thanksgiving. Today, we recognize the …

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