The theme this year is “America on the Offensive” where living history brings to life the experiences of fighting abroad and the war on the home front during World War II. Guests will have the chance to learn from living historians portraying soldiers who fought in WWII and about different aspects of a soldier’s life including weapons, signals and communications, and tactical demonstrations. Impressions will range from U.S. Army and Marines to those of British, Russian allies and enemies. Civilian living historians will portray goings on at the home front and USO activities stateside. Demonstrations will include medical, cooking, weapons and a military uniform and civilian fashion show. A special tactical demonstration will be performed on Saturday afternoon to illustrate the art of fire and maneuver.

Partner museums to include; the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, MacArthur Memorial, U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, U.S. Army Ordnance TSF, and the U.S. Army Women’s Museum will have displays and more for visitors to see and experience. Presentations by authors and historians will be throughout the weekend. Actor and historian Charles Wissinger will portray Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Lieutenant Audie Murphy and share his amazing story.

Visitors will have an opportunity to meet and hear about the adventures of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Audie Murphy (portrayed by actor/historian Charles Wissinger) who was an American soldier, actor and song writer. He is widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enlisted soldier in U.S. history. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at age 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded.

Other presenters include Jennifer Cottle, Education Manager, MacArthur Memorial, Zac Cunningham, School Programs Educator, Hampton Roads Naval Museum will present “Breaking the Enigma Code” and “Battle of the Atlantic & the “Road to Tokyo” Carter Bertone, U.S. Army Retired will present “The Defense of Wake Island” and Zachary Pittard, Director of Education and Interpretation, Pamplin Historical Park will present “Operation Torch: America’s First Fight with the Germans.”

Viewings of the Virginia War Memorials’, “Virginians at War: Battle of Okinawa” and “USS Birmingham,” which combines original footage with first-hand accounts to tell stories from World War II will be shown over the weekend in the park’s Education Center.

Children are invited to experience a World War II training obstacle course and enjoy craft activities to include World War II coloring books and making a take home project of the Roosevelt’s Scottie Dog “Fala.”

World War II, which was fought between 1939 and 1945, cost an estimated 85 million casualties both military and civilian worldwide. The United States military casualties amounted to 416,800. While many were thankful for the surrender in Europe on May 8, 1945, the war in the Pacific raged on and was far from over. The battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the first half of the year gave a glimpse of the carnage awaiting invasion forces set to strike the Japanese home islands. A planned Allied invasion on the island of Kyushu was set for November 1st. There, 500,000 Japanese troops were in position and another 6 million were under arms or able to be called into service. This invasion did not come to pass. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Imperial Japan to accept an unconditional surrender. The terms were accepted on August 14, 1945 and a formal document signing ceremony took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd.

All event activities and programs are included with regular daily paid admission. This event is generously sponsored by the Bank of Southside Virginia.