81st D-Day Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony

The anniversary of the Allied landing at Normandy will be marked with a special ceremony at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia.

Keynote Address by Joseph Balkoski
Joseph Balkoski served for many years as the Command Historian of the Maryland National Guard. He is the author of eight widely acclaimed books on World War II history, including a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division during World War II and a two-volume series on American involvement in the D-Day invasion.

He was categorized by USA Today as “the finest living D-Day historian.” Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson praised Balkoski’s 29th Division series by stating that “the U.S. Army is lucky to have a historian of Joseph Balkoski’s stature and skill to tell the tale of combat in Western Europe from the perspective of both the ordinary GI and his leaders.” Balkoski has traveled to Normandy ten times, and resided there throughout the summer of 2001 to lead U.S. Army staff rides for the professional development of its soldiers. He was the founder and curator of the Maryland Museum of Military History at Maryland National Guard headquarters in Baltimore, which includes the 29th Infantry Division Archives—one of the finest collections of archival papers in the United States related to the service of a U.S. Army division in wartime. The Governor of Maryland recently awarded him the Maryland Distinguished Service Cross for his lifetime of service to the state and the Maryland National Guard.

At the conclusion of the ceremony join us for:

Annual procession to Homage sculpture for You Shall Never be Forgotten 
Dedication of the Red Ball Express plaque
Book signing with Joe Balkoski (at approximately 12:45PM)
Guided tours starting at 1PM
Free admission until noon. Guests are encouraged to bring a chair. No coolers, no food in plaza. No pets (service dogs welcome.)