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The National Archives Commemorates Veteran’s Day
Press Release · Monday, November 2, 2020

Washington, DC

The National Archives honors our nation’s veterans with two special events: a book talk, and a documentary screening and panel discussion. These events are free and will be livestreamed on the National Archives YouTube channel. 

BOOK TALK: Tribute to a Generation: Haydn Williams and the Building of the WWII Memorial
Tuesday, November 10, at 3 p.m.
Register to attend. Watch the livestream on the National Archives YouTube channel.
In Tribute to a Generation, retired Navy commander David F. Winkler tells the story of F. Haydn Williams, a WWII naval officer and official in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Williams saw the recognition of the Greatest Generation as a final mission in life and leaned on a good friend, former Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Bill Crowe, to get an appointment to the American Battle Monuments Commission. Williams assembled a talented group to work out the details of the memorial while working to overcome strong opposition to its completion.

FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION: Memphis Belle: The Restoration
Thursday, November 12, at 7 p.m.
Register to attend. Watch the livestream on the National Archives YouTube channel.
On May 17, 1943, the crew of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Memphis Belle successfully completed their 25th and final mission. Famed Hollywood director William Wyler, then a major in the United States Army Air Forces, and his crew shot over 15 hours of footage that would become the documentary Memphis Belle: The Story of a Flying Fortress. In 2018, to mark the 75th anniversary of the final flight, the National Archives partnered with Vulcan Productions and Creative Differences to digitally preserve the film and outtakes. After a screening of the restored version of the film (45 mins.), Supervisory Motion Picture Preservation Specialist Criss Austin will moderate a discussion with Catherine Wyler, film producer and daughter of William Wyler, and filmmaker Erik Nelson, who collaborated on the restoration and used the outtake footage in his 2018 documentary The Cold Blue. 

The National Archives proudly serves veterans and their families, especially through our work at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO, and there are many veterans on staff. Learn how we help veterans access their records to receive benefits, read about the work our Preservation staff do to make these records accessible, and view historic films that our staff have restored and digitized about the experiences of veterans.

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This page was last reviewed on November 2, 2020.
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