Virginia War Memorial to commemorate Patriot Day

The Virginia War Memorial will commemorate Patriot Day on September 11, 2020, with a special livestream event and film presentation.

Due to the cautionary procedures in effect in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Commonwealth’s Patriot Day Ceremony will be livestreamed on social media instead of an in-person ceremony. The ceremony will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. on the Virginia War Memorial website and Facebook page.

September 11 is designated nationally as Patriot Day, a national day of mourning, to honor and remember the 2,997 persons who died and the more than 6,000 persons injured as a result of the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon here in Virginia and the World Trade Center in New York, and the downed aircraft in Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.

Dr. Clay Mountcastle, Virginia War Memorial Director and noted military historian, will host the program at the Memorial where a portion of the Pentagon wall destroyed during the attack is on display. He will then introduce the documentary film, A New Century, A New War.

The 30-minute film, produced by the Virginia War Memorial Foundation as part of its Virginians at War film series, chronicles the memories and emotions surrounding the 9/11 attacks as experienced by Virginia veterans and family members and addresses the U.S. response sending military forces to Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We must never forget our fellow Americans and fellow Virginians who died during the terrorist attacks nineteen years ago on 9/11/01,” said Dr. Mountcastle. “These were the first large scale direct attacks on American soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. We sincerely hope that the public will join us for our livestream ceremony this year to remember these heroes and their sacrifice and reaffirm our resolve to stand up to all who would attack our great Nation.”

For more information about The Commonwealth’s Patriot Day Ceremony livestream, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org.

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.  The Virginia War Memorial is a division of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and serves as an integral part of its mission in support of all Virginians who have served in our military.  It is located at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220. To learn more, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org or www.dvs.virginia.gov.

About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) is a state government agency with more than 40 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia.  VDVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans.  Today, VDVS assists veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; provides veterans and family members with linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education and other programs. The agency operates two long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; and provides an honored final resting place for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries. It also operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s tribute to Virginia’s men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.