Date: November 6, 2008
Contact: Rick Martin, Chief of Operations, (601) 619-2905
Honor America’s Veterans at Battlefields and Military Parks Preserved in the National Park System
Veterans, Members of the U.S. armed forces and families admitted free At Vicksburg National Military Park and other National Park Sites
Americans have always answered their country’s call to duty and fought no matter what the cause or reason for the war. The events of these wars and the people that fought and died for this country are valued by all Americans as links to our common heritage and our growth as a nation. Many of the places where they fought are today commemorated in areas managed by the National Park Service.
All military personnel, past and present, and their families will receive free admittance to any of the country’s 391 National Park Service sites on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 in honor of Veteran’s Day. The fee waiver applies to entrance fees only. Normally, 147 National Park Service sites charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. Some parks might also waive other fees on an individual basis.
Veteran’s Day and National Public Lands Day in September are the only two days when entrance fees are waived nationwide. The administrative fee waiver of entrance and/or standard amenity fees is applied annually on Veterans Day at public recreation lands managed by Interior’s National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation and Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service.
“I invite everyone to visit our many national parks that preserve and commemorate the sacrifices and achievements of the men and women who have fought in America’s wars,” said Mary A. Bomar, Director of the National Park Service.“On Veteran’s Day, and every day, what better way to learn about the hallowed places preserved in the National Park System and to honor the sacrifices of our veterans, than by visiting a national park.”
The National Park Service has the honor of preserving many battlefields, military parks, and historic sites that commemorate and honor the service of American veterans. The ideals and freedoms they fought for are remembered throughout the National Park System in areas as diverse as King’s Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina,Fort McHenry National Monument in Maryland, Fort Stanwix National Monument in New York, Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site in Texas, and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana. National Parks preserve and commemorate these sites of historical significance in the on-going growth of this nation as part of its core mission to preserve important cultural resources.
By logging onto the Honor America’s Veterans at Battlefields and Military Park Preserved in the National Park System website at: http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/veterans/honor.htm, people can learn of the many special places managed by the National Park Service. In addition to a list of national park sites, the web site includes information and web links to books and documents related to the theme of battlefields and military parks.
