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.

Operation-OVERLORD
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  1. Schedule
  2. Honorary Committee
  3. Sponsors

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

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

3:00 pm  |  Abilene Municipal Band Concert  (Visitors Center) 

Monday, June 3rd, 2019

10:30 am - 3:30 pm  |  IKEducation activities and programs

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

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

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

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)