75th D-Day Commemoration
A Five Star Commemoration
On June 6, 1944, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander during World War II, led the Allied Forces in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. Code-named Operation OVERLORD, this was the greatest invasion in human history that, less than a year later, led to the liberation of Europe from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi tyranny.
The Eisenhower Foundation, in partnership with the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas, will mark the 75th anniversary of this historic event by hosting a week of events commemorating D-Day, as well as honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower and those who bravely served the U.S. during World War II. To download a printable schedule, please click here.
If you would like to help make these events fitting for a five star general, click on the Donate Here button to the right.
Saturday, June 1st, 2019
Symphony at Sunset D-Day Commemoration Concert
12:00 pm | Outdoor Activities | World War II Re-enactors | Pop-Up Museum | Food Vendors
12:00 - 5:00 pm
- IKEducation activities and D-Day Hands on History Stations – Omaha Beach, 101st Airborne, D-Day Insignia, & Flat Ike (Museum steps)
- Little Ike Story Time – 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, & 3:30 pm (Boyhood Home)
3:30 - 4:30 pm | Presentation by World War II Veteran, Louis Graziano (Visitors Center)
5:30 - 10:00 pm | Outdoor Music (Library steps)
- Everyday Lights – 5:30 pm
- 1st Infantry Division Band – 7:00 pm
- Salina Symphony – 8:30 pm
6:30 & 8:00 pm | Ft. Riley Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard Demonstrations (grounds near Library)
6:50 pm | Jayhawk Commemorative Air Force Flyover: World War II-era airplanes
Sunday, June 2nd, 2019
11:30 am - 4:30 pm | IKEducation activities and programs
- Hands on History Stations: (Library 2nd floor)
- 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Dogs for Defense
- 2:30 - 4:30 pm V-Mail
- IKEducation Program: Holocaust: From a Name to a Number – 1:30-2:30 pm (Library Courtyard)
3:00 pm | Abilene Municipal Band Concert (Visitors Center)
Monday, June 3rd, 2019
10:30 am - 3:30 pm | IKEducation activities and programs
- IKEducation Program: In Plain Sight: D-Day Deception – 10:30-11:30 am (Library Courtyard)
- Hands on History Stations: (Library 2nd floor)
- 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Home Front Sacrifice
- 1:30 - 3:30 pm Rosie the Riveter
2:00 - 3:30 pm | Film: Ike: Countdown to D-Day (Visitors Center)
6:30 pm | Public Reception with author Nigel Hamilton (Visitors Center)
7:00 - 8:30 pm | Keynote Address: Dr. Nigel Hamilton, The Mantle of Command: FDR at War (Visitors Center)
Tuesday, June 4th, 2019
10:30 am - 3:30 pm | IKEducation activities and programs
- IKEducation Program: Attic Artifacts: World War II Kids – 10:30-11:30 am (Library Courtyard)
- Hands on History Stations: (Library 2nd floor)
- 11:30 am - 1:30 pm V-Mail
- 1:30 - 3:30 pm Dogs for Defense
2:00 - 5:00 pm | Film: The Longest Day (Visitors Center)
6:30 pm | Public Reception with Dr. Adrian Lewis, Professor of Military History at the University of Kansas (Visitors Center)
7:00 - 8:00 pm | Keynote Address: Dr. Adrian Lewis, Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory (Visitors Center)
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019
10:30 am - 3:30 pm | IKEducation activities and programs
- IKEducation Program: Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without – 10:30-11:30 am (Library Courtyard)
- Hands on History Stations: (Library 2nd floor)
- 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Dogs for Defense
- 1:30 - 3:30 pm Home Front Sacrifice
12:30 - 2:00 pm | Panel discussion featuring World War II Veterans (Visitors Center)
2:00 - 3:30 pm | Film: D-Day + 20 Years: Eisenhower Returns to Normandy with Walter Cronkite (Visitors Center)
6:30 pm | Public Reception with author Dr. Dennis Okerstrom (Visitors Center)
7:00 - 8:00 pm | Keynote Address: Dr. Dennis Okerstrom, War on Silent Wings: Gliders Into Normandy, D-Day 1944 (Visitors Center)
8:30 pm - midnight | VFW Vigil (Place of Meditation)
Thursday, June 6th, 2019
75th Anniversary of D-Day Remembrance Ceremony
9:30 am | Remembrance Ceremony (Statue)
- General Richard Myers, USAF (Ret.), Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; President of Kansas State University
11:00 am - 11:30 pm | Meet & Greet with Veterans, Rosies, & Survivors (Statue)
11:30 pm - 4:30 pm | IKEducation activities and programs
- Hands on History Station: (Library 2nd floor)
- 11:30 am - 4:30 pm Rosie the Riveter
- IKEducation Program: Primarily Omaha Beach – 12:00, 1:30, and 3:00 pm (Visitors Center – Classroom 1, enter via east doors)
- IKEducation Program: Code Talkers – 12:30, 2:00, and 3:30 pm (Visitors Center – Classroom 2, enter via east doors)
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm | “Hope and Liberty” concert, presented by the Kansas State University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in collaboration with the 41st Summer Choral Institute (Visitors Center, reception following)
Honorary Co-Chairs
~Dr. Jeff Colyer, M.D.~
Former Kansas Governor
~Ms. Mary Jean Eisenhower~
General & President Eisenhower’s granddaughter & Eisenhower Foundation Board Member
Honorary World War II Veteran Members
~Mr. Jimmy Carter~
39th President of the United States
~In Memoriam George H.W. Bush (1924-2018)~
41st President of the United States
~Mr. Bob Dole~
Former United States Senator, Kansas
~Mr. Bill Dunn, Sr.~
Friend of the Eisenhower Foundation
~In Memoriam Wendell Gugler (1925-2019)~
Friend of the Eisenhower Foundation
Family Members
~Ms. Anne Eisenhower~
General & President Eisenhower’s Granddaughter
~Mr. & Mrs. D. David Eisenhower and Family~
General & President Eisenhower Grandson & Chair Emeritus of Eisenhower Foundation
~Ms. Susan Eisenhower and Family~
General & President Eisenhower’s Granddaughter & Founding Chair of Eisenhower Foundation
~Mr. Merrill Eisenhower Atwater~
General & President Eisenhower’s Great Grandson & CEO of People to People International
~Ms. Adriana Echavarria~
General & President Eisenhower’s Great Granddaughter
Honorary Members
~Lt. General Robert Arter, USA (Ret.)~
Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, Emeritus
~Mr. Marlin Fitzwater~
Native Kansan, former White House Press Secretary
~Major General John S. Kolasheski~
Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas
~Mr. Bill Kurtis~
Native Kansan, Journalist, son of World War II Brig. Gen. William A. Kuretich
~Senator Jerry Moran~
United States Senator, Kansas
~General Richard Myers, USAF (Ret.)~
Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; President, Kansas State University
~Mr. Tony Orlando~
Eisenhower Foundation Board Member & Veterans Advocate
~Senator Pat Roberts~
United States Senator, Kansas
These events are made possible by the following supporters: