The Virginia War Memorial will host the 69th annual Commonwealth’s Veterans Ceremony at 3 p.m., Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
Members of the public and especially those who have served or currently serve in the U.S. armed forces and their families are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in this special ceremony which honors and celebrates the millions of men and women veterans who served in war and peacetime from the Revolutionary War to today.
The program will include a tribute to Virginia Blue Star families, the recognition of the Virginia War Memorial’s “Virginia Military Family of the Year”, and the winners of the Virginia War Memorial’s “2025 Veterans Day Student Essay Contest.” Patriotic music will be provided by the Combined Northside High School Choir from Roanoke, Virginia.
“This year’s Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony is especially meaningful as it was 250 years ago that the Continental Congress formed the first American Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and whose members became America’s first military veterans,” said Virginia War Memorial Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle. “We honor and remember them every day, but Veterans Day is especially meaningful,” he added.
The 69th annual Commonwealth’s Veteran Day Ceremony will be held outdoors in the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater on the Memorial’s grounds at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Va. 23220. Attendees are encouraged to arrive by 2:30 p.m. to be seated. Admission is free and parking is available in the Memorial’s surface lot and underground deck, and on nearby streets. The Memorial’s grounds and exhibit hall will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for visitors.
For those that cannot attend in person, the 69th annual Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony will also again be televised live on WTVR CBS6.1 and 6.3 television in Richmond and livestreamed on WTVR.com and WTKR.com in Norfolk. For more information please visit www.vawarmemorial.org or www.dvs.virginia.gov or telephone 804.786.2060.
About the Virginia War Memorial
The mission of the Virginia War Memorial is to Honor Veterans, Preserve History, Educate Youth, and Inspire Patriotism in All. Dedicated in 1956, the Memorial includes the names of the nearly 12,000 Virginia heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and the Global War on Terrorism. The Virginia War Memorial is and will always be the Commonwealth’s tribute to those who served and most especially, to those who died defending our freedoms.
The Virginia War Memorial is a division of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and serves as an integral part of its mission in support of all Virginians who have served in our military. It is located at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220 and is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free, except for select events. For more information, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org.
About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS)
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is a state government agency with more than 50 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia. DVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans. Today, DVS assists veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; provides veterans and family members with linkages to services including behavioral health, housing, employment, education, and other programs. The agency operates long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, dementia/memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; and provides an honored final resting place for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries. It operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s tribute to Virginia’s men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.