Leadership in America
The advances that have positioned the United States as a world superpower have often been initiated in Virginia.
Our Leadership in America lectures will feature a wide array of speakers addressing topics of military readiness, economic strength, medical advances, history, and cultural influence. The series will draw heavily from the intellectual talent of the Commonwealth.
2023 Fall speakers:
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Admiral James O. Ellis Jr, USN (Ret.)
The Virginia War Memorial Foundation is proud to present guest speaker Admiral James O. Ellis Jr, USN (Ret.). Admiral Ellis will be joining us as one of our 2023 “Leadership in America” speakers. Ellis retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), located in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 18, 2012.
In 2004, Admiral Ellis completed a distinguished 39-year Navy career. His final assignment was Commander of the United States Strategic Command during a time of challenge and change. In this role, he was responsible for the global command and control of United States strategic and space forces, reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense.
A former Chairman of the Board of the Space Foundation, in 2018 he was appointed Chairman of the User’s Advisory Group to the Vice President’s National Space Council. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Level 3 Communications and served on the board of directors of the Lockheed Martin Corporation and Dominion Energy. Mr. Ellis has served as an Annenberg Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University where he also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
One Week in October
October 2023 will be the 40th anniversary of the Beirut bombing. 241 US Military personnel were killed in the Barracks bombing, including 220 Marines. The incident was the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima.
That same week, citing danger to the U.S. citizens in Grenada, President Ronald Reagan ordered nearly 2,000 U.S. troops onto the island, where they soon found themselves facing opposition from Grenadan armed forces and groups of Cuban military engineers who were in Grenada to repair and expand the island’s airport.
2024 SPRING speakers:
Friday, April 19, 2024
Alexander Kershaw
Alex Kershaw returns to the War Memorial with a brand-new book. The widely acclaimed, prize-winning, New York Times best-selling author of eleven
books, including The Longest Winter and The Bedford Boys, will join us again to present his newest work, Patton’s Prayer: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II.
Tickets on sale in spring 2024.
the 2023 SPRING speakers:
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Jan Scruggs – Founder of the Vietnam Wall
Jan Scruggs was a wounded and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, having served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade of the U.S. Army. He conceived the Vietnam Wall as a memorial for the healing of a different kind of wound—that inflicted on our national psyche by a long and controversial war. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, Nightline, Good Morning America and the Today Show as well as C-SPAN, CNN and FOX. He has written opinion articles for The Washington Post, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Times and other national and regional publications.
An acclaimed speaker and author, Scruggs has written articles on a wide range of topics, including the Civil War and the battle of Gettysburg.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Alexander Kershaw
Alex Kershaw is the widely acclaimed, prize-winning, New York Times best-selling author of eleven
books, including The Longest Winter and The Bedford Boys. His latest book tells the story of four
men—all from the same unit—awarded the Medal of Honor for their courage during World War II.
Please contact our Development offices at 804-786-2176 or awarman@vawarmemorial.org with any questions regarding this event.