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From opening its final permanent exhibition hall, Liberation Pavilion, to hosting the 2023 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention, The National WWII Museum is celebrating milestones during the week of October 30–November 4, and the public is invited to join many of the festivities.
As the largest annual gathering of Medal of Honor Recipients in the nation, the Medal of Honor Society Convention is coming to the City of New Orleans for the first time ever. Presented by Stephen G. and Regina Oswald Foundation, the weeklong Convention provides unique opportunities for the community to engage with American heroes and be inspired to embody the values of the Medal of Honor in their own lives.
The public is invited to kick off the Convention at the Medal of Honor Community Forum presented by Ochsner Health on Monday, October 30. Through an impactful panel discussion, four Medal of Honor Recipients will share their personal experiences and how the values of the Medal of Honor—courage, integrity, commitment, sacrifice, honor, citizenship, and patriotism—can be applied to leadership and everyday life.
The free public program will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the Museum’s US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center; complimentary parking will be available in the Museum’s garage at 1024 Magazine Street. The event will also be livestreamed online.
On Wednesday, November 1, in the true spirit of New Orleans, Medal of Honor Recipients will parade through downtown on floats and historic vehicles accompanied by the St. Augustine Marching 100. The public is encouraged to watch the parade, which starts at 6:00 p.m. at the corner of St. Joseph and Tchoupitoulas Streets, then turns onto Convention Center Boulevard and ends at Mardi Gras World.
The Museum will also dedicate the Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Ground and open Liberation Pavilion, a three-story exhibit hall exploring the end of World War II, the Holocaust, the postwar years, and how the war continues to impact our lives today. This special grand opening marks the completion of the Museum’s capital campaign to expand from one exhibit hall to seven pavilions over the past two decades, advancing its mission to tell the full story of the American experience in World War II.
To celebrate this milestone, families across the Greater New Orleans community are invited to a daylong Family and Military Appreciation Block Party presented by Timber and Peggy Floyd on Saturday, November 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The festivities will include live entertainment, opportunities to meet Medal of Honor Recipients, local military displays, hands-on games and activities with area organizations, free sno-balls, and more. Admission is $10 for adults and free for seniors, K-12 students and children under 5, military, and veterans. Tickets include general admission to the Museum and complimentary access to that evening’s 30-minute showing of Expressions of America.
Also on that Saturday, the public is invited to a free half-day symposium, Building the National WWII Museum: From Conception to Capstone, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center. Panelists will discuss the institution’s founding, the 2000 Grand Opening of The National D-Day Museum, the expansion into The National WWII Museum, and the development of the new Liberation Pavilion. The Block Party and Symposium are part of the Museum’s D-Day to Liberation: Road to Victory Celebration presented by Past and Present Board Chairs of The National WWII Museum.
For more details on these milestone events, visit nationalww2museum.org.
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