Memorial Day Events at Pritzker Military Museum and Library
Pritzker Military Museum and Library is offering free programs over Memorial Day weekend. For details, see the media release below.
* * *
Museum & Library honors veterans with free lineup of events for Memorial Day
Tribute includes exclusive free access to new exhibit on U.S. Navy SEALs
CHICAGO, May 20, 2014—The Pritzker Military Museum & Library will celebrate Memorial Day on May 24 with several free offerings for the public, including a military genealogy talk, drop-in oral history sessions, a movie matinee, and free access to the new SEAL The Unspoken Sacrifice exhibit. The Museum & Library also will participate in the city of Chicago’s annual Memorial Day Parade by sponsoring a float dedicated to the men and women who have served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., all patrons will be granted free regular admission to the Museum & Library and access to its full range of resources, including the newly unveiled SEAL The Unspoken Sacrifice exhibit. Featuring more than 80 intimate photographs of SEALs and their families by Stephanie Freid-Perenchio, the exhibit also includes a wide range of artifacts on loan from the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, a rare book display from the Museum & Library’s collection, and an official U.S. Navy photo exhibit memorializing fallen SEALs from 2001 to the present day.
{default}At 10:30 a.m., genealogist Jennifer Holik will discuss her work and offer advice for those interested in pursuing a more complete history of family members who have served in the U.S. military. Holik, who has conducted extensive research using the Museum & Library’s resources, is the author of To Soar with the Tigers and the recently published Stories of the Lost. Learn more or reserve your seat by visiting www.pritzkermilitary.org/events.
Throughout the day, veterans and those who have actively supported the military are encouraged to share their stories of service with the Museum & Library’s Holt Oral History Program, which seeks to preserve the history and heritage of citizen soldiers through firsthand accounts of their experiences. Participants will be interviewed in the Museum & Library’s private Coleman T. Holt Oral History room, where state of the art technology is used to capture and later share these important oral histories.
Other free activities include hourly guided tours by Museum & Library staff and a big-screen showing of Tears of the Sun at 1 p.m., as part of the regularly scheduled Saturday Matinee Series.
The city of Chicago’s annual Memorial Day parade will step off at noon from Lake Street and proceed south on State Street to Van Buren Street, with Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard, serving as Grand Marshal. Learn more about the parade and other city-wide observances of the holiday by visiting www.cityofchicago.org.
About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is open to the public and features an extensive collection of books, artifacts, and rotating exhibits covering many eras and branches of the military. Since opening in 2003, it has become a center where citizens and Citizen Soldiers come together to learn about military history and the role of the Armed Forces in today’s society. The Museum & Library is a non-partisan, non-government information center supported by its members and donors.