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National Parks Fee-Free On November 11 In Honor of Military Past and Present

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Published Date

November 4, 2009

America's military service can be traced back to the birth of the United States, and it's memorialized in places known as Valley Forge, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, and the Vietnam Memorial.

To give honor to those military personnel who underscored the meaning of sacrifice for one's country, entrance fees will be waived at all national park units on November 11, Veterans Day, with hopes that Americans will take a day to honor and reflect on what U.S. service men and women have done to maintain our freedom and keep peace around the world.

The honor extends to service men and women beyond those involved in the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, beyond Vietnam and Korea, and far beyond the two World Wars. It extends to those who fought at places called Lexington and Concord. Guilford Courthouse. Saratgoa. Yorktown. Fort McHenry. Horseshoe Bend. Gettysburg. Antietam. Valley Forge. Appomattox. Shiloh. Kennesaw Mountain. Vicksburg. Wilson’s Creek. USS Arizona. The names are ingrained in our national memory. The places are preserved forever as national parks.

“As part of the national observance of Veterans Day, entrance fees will be waived at all national parks,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. “This is just a small way we can honor our veterans and active duty military, reserves, National Guard, and their families. It is also an opportunity for all Americans to visit a national park that tells a veteran’s story and learn more about the struggles and the people who have kept our nation strong for more than 200 years.”

To learn more about how national parks preserve and commemorate the service of the American military visit Honor America’s Veterans at Battlefields and Military Parks Preserved in the National Park System. Or go to www.nps.gov and search for a close-to-home national park by clicking on “refine your search” and entering your zip code in the site's park finder.

Many of the 392 national parks have planned special events on Veterans Day including:

World War II Memorial, Washington, DC – 8 a.m. color guard from the
Military District of Washington, special speakers, wreath-laying, and taps.
Contact: Friends of the National World War II Memorial, (202) 747-4258.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC – 1 p.m. annual Veterans Day
Observance at the Wall. Contact: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund at (202)
393-0090.

Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania – 10:30 a.m. wreath
laying at the National Memorial Arch with the Friends of Valley Forge Park
and the Korea DMZ Veterans Association. Contact: Ann Marie Maher at (610)
783-1006 or [email protected].

General Grant National Memorial, New York – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. living history
displays and demonstrations of the evolution of the American Army during
the 19th century. Contact: Mindi Rambo at (212) 668-2208 or
[email protected].

Free entrance on Veterans Day applies also applies at other areas managed by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service.

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