NEW ORLEANS — The National WWII Museum will open Liberation Pavilion, its final permanent exhibit hall, and officially dedicate the Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Ground, an outdoor gathering space in the heart of the New Orleans campus, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, capping the Museum’s journey to expand its campus to tell the full story of the American experience in World War II.
Liberation Pavilion explores the end of the war, the Holocaust, the postwar years and how the war continues to impact our lives today. The Museum will celebrate these major institutional milestones this fall with its supporters and the community during the D-Day to Liberation: Road to Victory Celebration presented by Past and Present Board Chairs of The National WWII Museum. The D-Day to Liberation: Road to Victory Celebration will mark the end of the Museum’s $400 million capital campaign, providing an opportunity to thank those who made the Museum’s expansion from one exhibition hall to seven pavilions over the past two decades possible and serving as a tribute to the sacrifices of the WWII generation.
The Museum will concurrently host over 40 Medal of Honor Recipients and their families in New Orleans for the 2023 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention presented by Stephen G. and Regina Oswald Foundation.
EVENTS: Monday, Oct. 30, 2023
• Medal of Honor Community Forum
Presented by Ochsner Health
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center at the Museum and Streaming Online
Free and Open to the Public
Join us as we kick off the 2023 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention, the largest annual gathering of Medal of Honor Recipients. This program will feature a panel discussion with four Medal of Honor Recipients about their personal experiences and the values of the Medal of Honor as they apply to leadership and everyday life.
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society Character Development Programs
Presented by Kevin G. Clifford Family
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Greater New Orleans Area Schools
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Streaming Online
**PRIVATE EVENTS but Open to Media. Contact for a list of participating schools.**
Medal of Honor Recipients will visit select New Orleans-area schools and nontraditional student communities to share their stories of courage and integrity in the face of difficult circumstances. The Museum will also host Recipients for a live webinar streamed to students across the country.
• Medal of Honor Valor Outreach Programs
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Tulane University and Michoud Assembly Facility
**PRIVATE EVENT but Open to Media. Contact for more details.**
Recipients will share how the values of the Medal of Honor apply to daily life through moderated panel discussions with community members. Medal of Honor Recipients will visit Tulane University’s ROTC programs, which recruit cadets from universities across the city, and meet with veteran employees at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Center, which now serves as “America’s Rocket Facility.”
• Parade of Patriots, Celebrating America’s Heroes
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Route starts at St. Joseph and Tchoupitoulas Streets, then travels along Convention Center Boulevard to Mardi Gras World
Free and Open to the Public
Medal of Honor Recipients will travel through downtown New Orleans in a patriotic parade featuring floats, historic vehicles, the St. Augustine Marching 100, and more. The parade is generously supported by Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World.
Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023
• Gold Star Memorial Service and Dedication
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Ground and Judith W. and Louis M. Freeman Terrace at the Museum
**PRIVATE EVENT but Open to Media.**
In conjunction with the Woody Williams Foundation, the Museum will unveil and dedicate a new memorial honoring families that have lost a loved one in the line of duty, along with a tribute to WWII Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams, who passed away in June 2022.
Friday, Nov. 3, 2023
• Grand Opening of Liberation Pavilion and Dedication of Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Ground
8:30 a.m. Ceremonial Dedication of Parade Ground
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Grand Opening Program
Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Ground at the Museum and Streaming Online
**PRIVATE EVENT but Open to Media.**
The Museum will pay tribute to the sacrifices of the WWII generation and its mission to preserve their stories as it officially dedicates the Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Ground, an outdoor gathering space in the heart of its New Orleans campus, and marks the opening of the final permanent exhibit hall, Liberation Pavilion.
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023
• Building The National WWII Museum: From Conception to Capstone Symposium
8:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Madlyn and Paul Hilliard Conference Center at The Higgins Hotel and Streaming Online
Free and Open to the Public
This half-day public symposium celebrates the history and design of The National WWII Museum, from the founders’ original idea to the completion of its final pavilion. Panelists will discuss how the Museum’s mission and vision of expansion became a reality, growing to seven pavilions over seven acres in downtown New Orleans and widening its digital reach.
• Family and Military Appreciation Block Party
Presented by Timber and Peggy Floyd
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The National WWII Museum
Open to the Public; $10 for Adults, Free for K-12 students, children under 5, seniors, US military members, veterans, and spouses of military/veterans
Members of the Greater New Orleans community are invited to celebrate and experience the Museum’s fully expanded campus and enjoy live entertainment, hands-on activities for kids, and more.
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