KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a series of events and unique opportunities, the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, will give people a chance to pause and observe Memorial Day.
“In many respects we become a secular cathedral, a gathering place, for people to honor and memorialize those from all wars that the U.S. has been involved in,” explained Matthew Naylor, the museum and memorial’s president and CEO.
Events begin Monday, May 30, 2022 at 10 a.m. with a formal ceremony. Kansas City native retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Larry Jordan will give the keynote address. Other dignitaries will also speak.
At noon, the museum and memorial will hold a brief ceremony to toll a historical bell. This bell rung every day in Kansas City during World War I.
The final organized event of the day is at 2 p.m. when Naylor and others will dedicate new bricks for the Walk of Honor. The special ceremony will recognize the names on each brick being added to the display. This event will also serve as a closing ceremony to the American Veterans Traveling Tribute Traveling Vietnam Wall. The replica of the National Vietnam War Memorial had been on display at the museum and memorial grounds since mid-May.
“I think many people are excited to be here because they’re remembering people who are important in their lives,” Naylor pointed out. “They’re remembering their grandfather, or their father or mother, their aunts and uncles, or neighbors who are important to them.”
Throughout the day, admission to the museum is half-price for the general public and free to active-duty military members and veterans. There will also be a “Huey” Helicopter from the Vietnam-era on display outside the museum until 5 p.m. Inside the museum, guests can use special research stations to access databases and archives to find their family’s connections to World War I.
More information on the National World War I Museum and Memorial’s schedule of events is available on its website.
