Friends Of The National World War Ii Memorial Inc

HONORING AND PRESERVING NATIONAL MEMORY OF WWII AND CREATING THE NEXT "GREATEST GENERATION" OF TOMORROW.

EDUCATION:IN 2020, FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL, INC. CONTINUED TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES. TO THIS END, FRIENDS HOSTED ITS FIFTH ANNUAL FRIENDS OF THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL TEACHERS NETOWRK AND CONFERENCE. DUE TO THE WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC, THE FIVE-DAY CONFERENCE WAS HELD VIRTUALLY FROM JULY 21ST - 25TH AND WAS ATTENDED BY AN AVERAGE OF 80-90 ONLINE PARTICIPANTS DAILY FROM 33 STATES AND THREE COUNTRIES OUTSIDE THE U.S. THE CONFERENCE THEME WAS "WORLD WAR II 75TH ANNIVERSARY: THE LASTING SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF WORLD WAR II ON AMERICA AND THE WORLD AND FEATURED PRESENTATIONS BY FELLOW EDUCATORS AND OTHER EXPERTS IN THE AREA OF WWII HISTORY, DISCUSSIONS WITH WWII VETERANS, VIRTUAL TOURS OF SITES OF WWII SIGNIFICANCE, AND A VIRTUAL REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY AT THE WWII MEMORIAL. THE FOCUS ON THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF WWII ALLOWED EDUCATORS TO SEE THE MYRIAD OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WORLD WAR II TRANSFORMED AMERICAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN WAYS THAT WE STILL SEE TODAY. ADDITIONALLY, THE THEME COVERED A BROAD SWATH OF WWII EXPERIENCES, WHICH WILL BE ACCESSIBLE AND INTERESTING TO A WIDE VARIETY OF STUDENTS - WHETHER THEY ARE INTERESTED IN MILITARY HISTORY, ECONOMICS, MINORITY GROUPS DURING THE WAR, AND MANY OTHER TOPICS.IN OCTOBER 2020, FRIENDS LAUNCHED A MONTHLY VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE SERIES TO TEACH THE LESSONS OF YESTERDAY TO UNITE THE GENERATIONS OF TOMORROW. THE SERIES, FEATURING DISCUSSIONS WITH WORLD WAR II VETERANS, EDUCATORS, AND PUBLISHED AUTHORS ON A RANGE OF TOPICS, IS HELD ON THE THIRD SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH.

COMMEMORATIVE:IN COOPERATION WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, FRIENDS HAS THE LEAD RESPONSIBILITY IN PLANNING, STAGING, AND FUNDING FIVE MAJOR NATIONAL COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS AT THE MEMORIAL ON V-E DAY, MEMORIAL DAY, V-J DAY, VETERANS DAY, AND PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAY. IN ADDITION, FRIENDS ANNUALLY HOSTS A D-DAY COMMEMORATION AND HOLIDAY CAROLING AT THE MEMORIAL. THE CEREMONIES AND CAROLING ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. DUE TO THE CONTINUING CONCERNS SURROUNDING THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, EACH OF THESE 2020 ANNUAL EVENTS WERE HELD VIRTUALLY. WE ENDED 2020 HAVING HOSTED 16 COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS AND PROGRAMS DURING THIS FINAL YEAR OF OUR FOUR-YEAR 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION. THE FIRST FIVE, BETWEEN JANUARY 1 AND FEBRUARY 19, WERE HELD AS PLANNED AT THE WWII MEMORIAL. THE NEXT TWO WERE FILMED, AS BRIEF WREATH PRESENTATIONS, AT THE IWO JIMA MEMORIAL. FOR THE FINAL NINE COMMEMORATIONS, WE TRANSITIONED INTO A NEW ERA OF STORYTELLING WITH VIRTUAL CEREMONIES. EACH VIRTUAL COMMEMORATION INCLUDED A PRE-RECORDED ONLINE VIDEO TRIBUTE AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A PRIVATE WREATH PRESENTATION LIVE STREAMED AT THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL.WWII 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIONS: IN 2020, FRIENDS HOSTED TWELVE 75TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS AT THE WWII MEMORIAL AS PART OF THE FRIENDS' FOUR YEAR WWII 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION, FROM DECEMBER 7, 2016 TO SEPTEMBER 2, 2020, WHICH FEATURED 85 COMMEMORATIONS. THE MILITARY DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON PROVIDED MILITARY, VIRTUAL, AND IN-PERSON SUPPORT FOR EACH EVENT.* WED., JAN. 1 OPERATION NORDWIND 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AT THE WWII MEMORIAL* THURS., JAN. 9 BATTLE OF LUZON 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AT THE WWII MEMORIAL* MON., JAN. 20 COLMAR POCKET 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AT THE WWII MEMORIAL* MON., FEB. 3 BATTLE OF MANILA 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AT THE WWII MEMORIAL* WED., FEB. 19 BATTLE OF IWO JIMA 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AT THE WWII MEMORIAL* TUES., MARCH 24 OPERATION VARSITY 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AT THE U.S. MARINE CORPS WAR MEMORIAL* WED., APRIL 1 BATTLE OF OKINAWA 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION* MON., APRIL 6 OPERATION GRAPESHOT (SPRING OFFENSIVE) 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION* SAT., APRIL 18 RUHR POCKET 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION* WED., APRIL 29 LIBERATION OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION* THURS., AUG. 6 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOMBINGS OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI* WED., SEPT. 2 V-J DAY 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION AT THE WWII MEMORIALADDITIONALLY, FRIENDS WORKED WITH THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE AND WWII VETERAN PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME COACH MARV LEVY TO BRING IN MIAMI TO TAKE PART IN THE OFFICIAL COIN TOSS CEREMONY AS PART OF FRIENDS' FOUR-YEAR WWII 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION.

LEGACY LECTURE:HAYDN WILLIAMS WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL LEGACY LECTURE SERIES - ON NOVEMBER 18TH, FRIENDS HELD THE EIGHTH ANNUAL HAYDN WILLIAMS WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL LEGACY LECTURE VIA THE NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY'S ONLINE PORTAL. AUTHOR, HISTORIAN, AND VISITING PROFESSOR OF WAR STUDIES AT KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON DR. ANDREW ROBERTS PRESENTED THE LECTURE TITLED, "ANGLO-AMERICAN COOPERATION IN WORLD WAR TWO: THE HIGHS AND LOWS." THE HAYDN WILLIAMS WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL LEGACY LECTURE IS AN ANNUAL PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES THAT FEATURES PREEMINENT HISTORIANS AND OTHER EXPERTS SPEAKING ON THE LASTING SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF WORLD WAR II ON AMERICA AND THE WORLD.

PRESERVATION:FRIENDS IS LEADING THE EFFORT TO FULFILL THE CONGRESSIONAL MANDATE TO ADD PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT'S DAY PRAYER, OF THE LARGEST MASS PRAYERS IN HISTORY, TO THE WWII MEMORIAL AND TO PROVIDE A CONTEMPLATIVE SPACE TO REMEMBER THE MORE THAN 400,000 AMERICAN SOULS LOST DURING WWII. ADDITIONALLY, FRIENDS IS WORKING WITH CONGRESSWOMAN MARCY KAPTUR, THE "MOTHER" OF THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL, TO SUPPORT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT LEGISLATION THAT WILL RAISE PRIVATE FUNDS TO HELP PROVIDE MAINTENANCE SUPPORT OF THE WORLDWAR II MEMORIAL.