On Wednesday, December 15th, the Virginia War Memorial hosted a Key Exchange Ceremony in the Brice Heilman Amphitheater. The ceremony recognized the truck drivers delivering wreaths to more than 2,500 veteran cemeteries across the country, most notably Arlington National Cemetery, as part of National Wreaths Across America Day, taking place …
Continue ReadingIn a project done in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University, students helped gather information about the 1,303 Virginians listed on our Shrine of Memory. By Brian McNeill Originally published on VCU news. Walter “Butch” Boyd, a 19-year-old private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps from Norfolk, Virginia, was one of 26 …
Continue ReadingThis news story, written by Ali Rockett and featuring Virginia War Memorial Operations Director Ben King, was originally featured in the Richmond Times Dispatch on September 9, 2021 as part of a series of feature articles honoring the 20th anniversary of 9/11. When the twin towers fell. When the Pentagon …
Continue ReadingTwenty-five years after President Harry S. Truman ordered the desegregation of armed forces, Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. became the first Black rear admiral. This story is reprinted from Channel 13 News Now in Norfolk, VA. Author: Mike Gooding Published: June 1, 2021 NORFOLK, Va. — A true trailblazer in United …
Continue ReadingIn case you missed it, NBC’s Channel 12 About Town featured the Virginia War Memorial and our Foundation program, the Mighty Pen Project in an article over the weekend: https://www.nbc12.com/2021/02/27/virginia-war-memorials-marks-milestones-shrine-memory-might-pen-project/ By Hannah Eason | February 27, 2021 at 5:08 PM EST RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – March 1 marks two important milestones for the Virginia …
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This article by Bill Lohmann was originally featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Roanoke Times on Sunday, January 31, 2021. To register for this Livestream program, on February 11th, CLICK HERE. A few years ago, Clay Mountcastle’s father, Jack, a Vietnam veteran, showed him a copy of a 1966 …
Continue ReadingThank you to all who helped produce our 2020 Veterans Day Ceremony. Below is an excerpt from Executive Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle’s opening remarks during the Virginia War Memorial’s Veterans Day Ceremony, as well as the broadcast of the full ceremony. The year 2020 and a global pandemic continue to …
Continue ReadingEarlier this September, Woody and Nelsen Funeral Homes delivered over 7,000 American flags to the Virginia War Memorial. The flags were collected from their annual flag exchange program hosted in May. Dignity Memorial, the parent company for both Woody and Nelsen, offered Richmonders the opportunity to exchange their old, torn or …
Continue ReadingEarlier this week, the Virginia War Memorial was mentioned in an opinion piece by Robin Beres of the Richmond Times Dispatch. Below is Beres editorial, highlighting the USS Indianapolis and their Congressional Gold Medal. Editorial: USS Indianapolis crew awarded Congressional Gold Medal August 6, 2020 Amid all the displays of …
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As we move into summer, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this opinion piece, written by one of our Board of Directors. In his recollections Michael Santoro reminds us that at the Virginia War Memorial, every day is “Memorial Day.” The grounds of the Memorial and …
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