Six Places to Honor Veterans in the Shenandoah Valley

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Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum. Photo courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corporation and by Traveling Newlyweds.

Armistice Day marks the armistice signed between World War I Allies and Germany on November 11, 1919, and predates Veterans Day, which we now recognize on November 11. Wouldn’t you know it? We have just the place to learn more about Armistice Day in the Shenandoah Valley, plus fantastic places to honor our veterans this Veterans Day and beyond.

Armistice Day and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

On November 11, 1919 President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation commemorating the June 28, 1919 end of World War I, the day the Treaty of Versailles was signed. The significance of November 11 is that fighting actually ceased “on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” in 1918. Armistice Day (November 11) became a national holiday in 1938. It remained as such until President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed off on a bill to rename November 11 Veterans Day.

On March 4, 1921 President Wilson signed legislation that allowed the remains of an unknown solider from World War I to be interred in Arlington National Cemetery, thus creating the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The actual tomb was completed in 1932 and has been guarded against people climbing, sitting, or standing on it “every minute of every day since 1937,” according the Department of Defense.

Visit President Wilson’s birthplace at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in downtown Staunton.

The National D-Day Memorial

In Bedford, the community that lost the most soldiers per capita on D-Day (June 6, 1944), the National D-Day Memorial honors all the American and Allied Forces who lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy that fateful day. Operation Overlord was a pivotal point in World War II and visitors can soak in the history with a visit to this larger-than-life memorial.

Tune in to the Veterans Day Observance Friday, November 11, 2022 at 11 a.m.

 

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The 29th Division Museum

The 29th Infantry Division of the United States Army can trace its “military lineage back to the French and Indian War, The American Revolution, the War of 1812, The Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, and the Spanish-American War.” Additionally, the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Division was among the first to land on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 during World War I. This division has consistently served the United States of America through recent global turmoil as well.

Enjoy free admission to The 29th Division Museum in Verona Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

National Cemeteries

Both the Winchester National Cemetery and the Staunton National Cemetery are final resting places for veterans of war. Eligibility to be interred includes meeting the minimum amount of active duty service and honorable discharge.

At Winchester National Cemetery visitors will find markers for soldiers who died in the battles of Winchester, New Market, Front Royal, Snickers Gap, Harpers Ferry, Martinsburg, and Romney – all American Civil War battles.

 

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Likewise, Staunton National Cemetery is the final destination for soldiers who fell at the battles of Cross Keys, Port Republic, and Waynesboro. An interesting notable internment includes Nicolae Duncan, a Buffalo Soldier who was born in Transylvania, Romania in 1837, fought for the Union Army, and was killed at the Battle of Cross Keys on June 8, 1862.

Shenandoah National Park

Every day of the year Shenandoah National Park welcomes veterans free of charge. On Veterans Day, everyone else can enter the park for free, too.

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