Virginia War Memorial To Host Commonwealth’s Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony - 2019 Ceremony Will Be Held Saturday, December 7 in Memorial’s Shrine of Memory
United States Navy Commander Jean Marie Sullivan, Commanding Officer of the USS Whidbey Island, will be the keynote speaker at the Commonwealth’s Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony, Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 11 a.m. at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.
Presented by the Richmond Council of the Navy League of the United States, the annual commemoration will be held in the Memorial’s Shrine of Memory, 20th Century, at 621 South Belvidere Street. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
Commander Sullivan attended the University of Rochester under the Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) and received her commission in the U. S. Navy in 2000. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from George Washington University. Before her assignment as the 22nd Commanding Officer of the USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), Commander Sullivan served at sea aboard the USS Winston Churchill, the USS Forrest Sherman, and most recently was an Executive Officer aboard the USS Gonzalez in addition to a number of shore assignments.
The Commonwealth’s Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony will also include the presentation of wreaths in memory of the Virginians who died on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 when the forces of Imperial Japan bombed the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii resulting in the United States entering World War II. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and more than 1,100 wounded during the surprise attack.
“The name of each Virginian who perished on that fateful day will be read and remembered with the tolling of the ship’s bell from the USS Virginia, which is on permanent display at the Virginia War Memorial,” said Dr. Harvey Lankford, M.D., president of the Navy League’s Richmond Council who will serve as Master of Ceremonies of the program. “We have also invited one of the few remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack to be with us at the ceremony.”
Due to expansion construction, parking onsite at the Virginia War Memorial will be limited. Parking will be available in the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) surface lot at 601 South Belvidere Street and at the Afton Chemical Corporation lot at the corner of Belvidere and Spring Streets.
The Virginia War Memorial’s Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center will be open for tours from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on December 7. For more information about the 78th Commonwealth’s Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony, please contact the Memorial at 804.786.2060 or visit www.vawarmemorial.org , www.dvs.virginia.gov, or Facebook/virginiawarmemorial.
About The Navy League of the United States
The Navy League of the United States (NLUS) was founded in 1902 with the encouragement of President Theodore Roosevelt. The League has grown into the foremost citizen’s organization to serve, support and stand with all sea services – U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant Marine. For more information on the Richmond Council of the Navy League of the United States, visit www.navyleague-richmond.com .
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. Located at 621 South Belvidere Street in Richmond, the Memorial is open seven days a week for tours and visitation. The Virginia War Memorial is a division of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and is an integral part of its mission in support of all Virginians who have served in the military. For learn more, visit www.virginiawarmemorial.org or www.dvs.virginia.gov .
About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is a state government agency with more than 40 operating locations across the Commonwealth. DVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist World War I veterans. Today, DVS assists veterans and their families in filing federal benefits claims, provides veterans and their families with linkages to services such as behavioral healthcare, housing, employment and other programs. The agency operates two long-term care facilities for veterans and provides an honored final resting places for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries. It also operates the Virginia War Memorial. For more information, please go to www.dvs.virginia.gov.