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National
Park Service Commemorates Veterans Day with
Special
Programs and Free Admission on November 11
|
Washington,
DC – November 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / In
honor of Veterans
Day, many national parks across the country are hosting special events,
displays, and ceremonies to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the
U.S. Armed Forces. The National Park Service will waive entrance
fees on November 11.
“It’s
a special responsibility to be the stewards of the memorials, battlefields,
and historic sites that tell the story of the honor, courage, and sacrifice
of our veterans,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.
“All 413 of our parks nationwide offer the chance to reflect on what our
veterans fought to protect, and may also provide opportunities for veterans
and their families to find peace and healing.”
National
parks and other public lands can be used to facilitate healing and reflection,
physical and mental challenges, and rest and recuperation for veterans,
active duty service members, and their families. Rivers of Recovery, one
of the nonprofit organizations that uses national parks for this purpose,
partnered with Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway to create the “Vets
on the River” program, which offers multi-day trips on the park’s rivers
to combat veterans suffering from physical or psychological injuries.
“Vets
on the River is an amazing program that provides a great opportunity for
veterans suffering from PTSD, an opportunity to gain another support group,”
said Rob Boss, a participant who shared
his experience in a video. “Just being with nature and being outdoors,
being on the relaxing river, it allows us to open up with each other, which
we so need.”
The
National Park Service cares for many sites across the country related to
the military experience, including more than 25 battlefields, 14 national
cemeteries, and hundreds of memorials and monuments. Port Chicago Naval
Magazine National Memorial, Manhattan Project National Historical Park,
and other historic sites tell greater story of contributions, sacrifice,
and consequences of conflict off the battlefield.
A
few ways to commemorate Veterans Day at national parks include:
-
Meeting
some of the women who contributed to the war effort at Rosie the Riveter
WWII Home Front National Historical Park;
-
Listening
to a special recital of the stories of veterans buried in the cemetery
at St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site;
-
Attending
an Oath of Enlistment Ceremony for new military recruits at Valley Forge
National Historical Park;
-
Joining
a discussion on the story of an African American U.S. Army regiment nicknamed
the “Buffalo Soldiers” at Fort
-
Vancouver
National Historic Site;
-
Watching
a firing demonstration at Saratoga National Historical Park from the Revolutionary
War through present day; or
-
Taking
a train ride through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, free to all past and
present military, first responders, and their families.
Active
duty military members and their dependents can pick up a free military
annual pass at any national park that usually charges a fee. A free lifetime
pass is also available to disabled veterans. These passes provide free
entrance to more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national
forests, and other federal recreational areas. More information about the
passes can be found at www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm.
Full
Release at NPS
About
The National Park Service
More
than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 413 national
parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local
history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at
www.NPS.gov,
on Facebook Facebook.com/nationalparkservice,
Twitter Twitter.com/natlparkservice,
and YouTube YouTube.com/nationalparkservice.
Contact:
Victoria
Stauffenberg, National Park Service, 202-208-6843 |