The U.S. Navy & D-Day
A Mighty Endeavor: Honoring the U.S. Navy’s Role on D-Day
DATE
June 6, 2023
TIME
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
LOCATION
USS Constitution Museum
EVENT REGISTRATION
This event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Admission to the Museum is by donation.
June 6, 1944, brought together land, air, and sea forces of the Allied armies in one of the largest invasions in human history. When we think about that day, we typically consider the beach landings at Normandy, France, and the ensuing land battle. On this anniversary day, we remember the role of the Navy and reflect on their efforts to deliver victory and, ultimately, the beginning of the end of WWII.
The Museum invites you to join us for an in-person discussion and commemoration of the 79th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe. The event and commemoration will be led by historian Joe Balkoski and will feature a brief presentation by Joe to discuss the role the U.S. Navy played during D-Day. Following the presentation, participants are invited to participate in a commemoration of the event in front of the USS Constitution Museum at the head of Dry Dock #1.
Meet Our Guest Speaker, Joseph Balkoski
Categorized by USA Today as “the finest living D-Day historian,” Joe is also the author of eight widely acclaimed books on World War II history, including a two-volume series on American involvement in the D-Day invasion and a five-volume series, From Normandy to Victory, on the history of the 29th Infantry Division. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson praised Balkoski’s 29th Division series by stating that “the U.S. Army is lucky to have a historian of Joseph Balkoski’s stature and skill to tell the tale of combat in Western Europe from the perspective of both the ordinary GI and his leaders.”
Joe served as Command Historian of the Maryland National Guard and the U.S. Army’s 29th Infantry Division and accompanied Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich as a guide for the 60th-anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings. He is the founder and former curator of the Maryland Museum of Military History at Maryland National Guard headquarters in Baltimore, which includes the 29th Infantry Division Archives—one of the finest collections of archival papers in the United States related to the service of a U.S. Army division in wartime. For this effort and so much more, Joe was awarded the Maryland Distinguished Service Cross and Maryland National Guard Meritorious Service Medal for his lifetime of service to veterans, the state of Maryland, and the Army National Guard.
This event is part of the Salute to Service initiative of the USS Constitution Museum, supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
