Atlanta History Center’s Annual Veterans Day Commemoration Dedicated to Iraq and Afghanistan Service Men and Women
Atlanta, GA –As part of a continuous effort to honor the brave men and women who have served our country, the Atlanta History Center invites the entire community to join us at Veterans Park for an annual ceremony to reflect upon and thank our Veterans for their commitment. This year, the Atlanta History Center dedicates the ceremony to those that served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
WHAT: Veterans Day Annual Commemoration
WHEN: Tuesday, November 11, 2014; 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
WHERE: Veterans Park, Atlanta History Center; 130 West Paces Ferry Road; Atlanta, GA
INFORMATION: 404.814.4000; AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Veterans
ADMISSION: This commemorative program is free to veterans and the general public. On this holiday, active and retired military and up to five members of their families receive free admission to the Atlanta History Center.
SUPPORT: This event is generously sponsored by Regions Bank. Free picnic lunch provided by Chick-Fil-A and Williamson Brother’s Barbeque.
Veterans Park at the Atlanta History Center was formally dedicated Memorial Day 2013 to all of the men and women who have served - and continue to serve - the United States of America. Funded by a generous grant from The Home Depot Foundation, Veterans Park was designed as a unique gathering place encouraging reflection, personal connections to veterans, and a celebration of the lives of those who have sacrificed to secure our freedom.
A cornerstone of Veterans Park, and perhaps the most touching personal connection to our country’s military history, are the stories and oral histories of veterans featured on a series of panels throughout the park. Each panel features a QR code – compatible with any smartphone – allowing visitors to easily access video files of veterans sharing their personal stories, memories, tragedies, and triumphs of their service to our country.
All Atlantans are invited to join veterans in Veterans Park at 11 am for a special ceremony organized by the Atlanta History Center Veterans Steering Committee. Activities include patriotic music, the raising of the U.S. flag flown in theater, singing of the National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, wreaths presented by veterans to honor those who have served, and continue to serve, in the armed forces, and a keynote address by Brigadier General John King. While deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010 General King served as the senior advisor to the Afghan deputy minister for security. While deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005, he served as the battalion commander for the 1-108th Armor Battalion and operations officer S-3 of the 48th IBCT. General King is currently the Director of Joint Staff for the Georgia National Guard.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
Bagpiper Presentation
Richard McPhee, Piper
Ceremony Opening / History of Veterans Day
Dan Holtz, Asst Commissioner, GDVS
Raising of US Flag Flown in Theater
Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans
National Anthem
Shelly Williams, Georgia National Guard
Pledge of Allegiance
Duane Williams, IAVA GA Director
Invocation
CH (CPT) Jon Pirtle, GAARNG
Introduction of Distinguished Guests
Dan Holtz, Asst Commissioner, GDVS
Welcome / History of the Park
Sheffield Hale, President & CEO, AHC
Veterans Day Message
Duane Williams, IAVA GA Director
Keynote Speaker
BG John King, Georgia National Guard
Presentation of Wreath
Lee Weinstein, CMDR WWII Roundtable
Recognition of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
Armed Services Medley
Benediction
CH (CPT) Jon Pirtle, GAARNG
Explanation of On Site Services
Dan Holtz, Asst Commissioner, GDVS
Closing with Bagpiper Presentation
Richard McPhee, Piper
Please join us for a picnic lunch in the park directly following the ceremony, generously provided by Chick-Fil-A and Williamson Brother’s Barbeque.
The Atlanta History Center is proud to work in collaboration with veterans associations and national oral history projects like the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and the Military Voices Initiative through StoryCorps at the Atlanta History Center. Through these partnerships and support of donations from the community, we are able to preserve oral history interviews with Georgia and regional veterans ensuring their voices become powerful tools to educate future generations on our country’s military history.
As one of the founding and contributing partners of the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center, the Atlanta History Center has contributed more than 400 interviews of American war veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, as well as civilians’ stories who were actively involved in supporting war efforts. All Veterans History Project partners send the full recordings and transcripts to the Library of Congress, however, only a small portion of the submitted interviews are accessible online.
Through a gift from the Scott Hudgens Family Foundation, the James G. Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center now preserves and provides free online access to over 600 hours of personal stories of U.S. combat veterans. In addition, the gift has allowed the History Center to catalog 424 digitized oral history interviews of U.S. Army, Air Force, Marine, Merchant Marine, Coast Guard Veterans, and civilians collected between 1999 and 2013. The project is expected to be available online late 2014. For more information on participating in the Veterans History Project, email VeteransHistoryProject@AtlantaHistoryCenter.com.
