This Memorial Day, join us as we give special honor and recognition to the individuals who sacrificed their lives while serving their country.
2024 Memorial Day Weekend
Friday, May 24 - Monday, May 27
Admission discount during Memorial Day Weekend:
- Free General Admission for veterans/active-duty military; spouses and dependents with ID
- Half-price General Admission for the public
2024 Memorial Day Weekend Events
World War I Research Stations
When: During Museum hours, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Outside Auditorium Lobby
What: Find your connection to World War I during Memorial Day weekend through research stations at the Museum. With access to multiple databases including Fold3.com, Ancestry.com, the Museum and Memorial’s online collections database, the American Battlefield Monuments Commission and the National Archives, discover how the Great War affected your family through records, photographs and much more. FREE to the public.
Flags of Forgotten Soldiers Display
When: Monday, May 13 - Monday, May 27
Where: Walkway Terrace near Main Entrance
What: The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that every 72 minutes, a servicemember takes their own life. This moving display of 140 U.S. flags calls attention to the fact that 140 veterans are lost to suicide every week. FREE to the public.
Save a Life: Blood Drive
When: Friday, May 24, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Southeast Lawn
What: Like soldiers did 100 years ago, you can do your civic and patriotic duty by donating blood to support those in need. Appointments are REQUESTED to donate at this blood drive; walk-ins will be accepted. Make an appointment now
WW1USA Amateur Radio Station
When: Friday, May 24 - Monday, May 27
Where: Onsite
What: The Museum and Memorial is teaming with area amateur radio operators to remotely host special event station WW1USA. During this time, station operators will contact hundreds of other amateur radio operators across the world. Are you a short-wave radio operator? Join us! FREE to the Public. Learn more and find locations at ww1usa.org
Vietnam Era Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” Helicopter Display
When: Friday, May 24 - Monday, May 27
Where: U-shaped Drive
What: The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #243 will provide an iconic Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” helicopter for people to climb aboard and inspect. FREE to the public.
Vintage Military Vehicle Display
When: Saturday, May 25
Where: Southeast Lawn
What: The Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) will display vintage military vehicles from World War I, World War II, Korean War and Operation Desert Storm. MVPA members will be available to answer questions about their collection. Availability subject to weather. FREE to the public.
In Conversation: The Legacy Jump
POSTPONED due to unforeseen circumstances.
Memorial Day Ceremony
When: Monday, May 27, 10 a.m.
Where: Memorial Courtyard
What: A formal public program to include remarks from dignitaries and a keynote address from Lt. General (Ret.) Wendy M. Masiello. Masiello served for 36 years in the United States Air Force and retired as the director of the Defense Contract Management Agency. ASL interpretation will be provided for the ceremony. FREE to the public.
Watch the livestream:
Memorial Day Bell Tolling Ceremony
When: Monday, May 27, Noon
Where: Memorial Courtyard
What: We commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice with a bell tolling ceremony featuring a presentation of colors, a wreath laying and a moving reading. It was also tolled 11 times at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1926 during the dedication ceremony of the Liberty Memorial and again on Nov. 11, 2018 to commemorate the centennial of the WWI armistice. FREE to the public.
Watch the livestream:
Bicycling through Battlefields: One Man’s Journey into the Past
When: Monday, May 27, 12:30 p.m.
Where: Onsite and online
What: Cycle through WWI battlefields with Brett Hawkes on his journey following his grandfather’s steps along the Western Front, meeting the descendants of the townsfolk his grandfather met. Free with RSVP. Register for the event
Walk of Honor Dedication and Ribbon Cutting
When: Monday, May 27, 2 p.m.
Where: Walk of Honor
What: New Walk of Honor granite bricks will be dedicated during a special ceremony. The Walk of Honor includes bricks dedicated to those who served in World War I, to veterans of any military service and bricks honoring civilian friends, family or organizations. Walk of Honor bricks are dedicated each year during a Memorial Day ceremony. FREE to the public.
Immediately following the Dedication Ceremony there will be a ribbon cutting on the Walk of Honor. The Walk of Honor bricks have been moved and re-laid on the East and West walkways around the U-Shaped Drive and Liberty Memorial Mall. This change honors the original intent of the design and better protects the bricks from wear and tear. Learn more
Trees of Remembrance
When: Friday, May 24 - Monday, May 27
Where: Glass Bridge
What: In remembering, we can never forget. Commemorate the service and memory of a fallen soldier by adding their name to a poppy blossom, displayed on the branches of the Trees of Remembrance. FREE to the public.
Wendy M. Masiello, Lt Gen, USAF (retired)
Independent Director
Wendy Masiello retired from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant General, and is president of Wendy Mas Consulting, LLC.
Prior to her retirement, General Masiello was the first three-star general to serve as Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency. There she led a worldwide team of 12,000 people, managing a $1.4 billion budget in oversight of 20,000 contractors with over $2 trillion in contract value. She also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary (Contracting), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, and as Program Executive Officer for the Air Force’s $65 billion Service Acquisition portfolio. She commanded the 96th Air Base Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting for Forces.
She currently serves as an independent director for KBR Inc., EURPAC Service, Inc., StandardAero (owned by The Carlyle Group), Tlingit Haida Tribal Business Corporation and MRIGlobal. She is also a Director on the Procurement Round Table and the National ReBuilding Together Board; Past-Chair for the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Board of Directors; and serves on Texas Tech’s Rawls Advisory Council, the Air Force Studies Board under the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
Masiello holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Texas Tech University, a Master of Science in Logistics Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
Her medals and recognition include a Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, 2023 Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business Distinguished Alum, 2017 Texas Tech Distinguished Alum, twice named to Executive Mosaic’s Washington 100, Greater Washington Government Contractor “Public Sector Partner of the Year,” and is an NCMA Fellow and NCMA Certified Professional Contracts Manager.
2024 Sponsors
Veterans of Foreign Wars
