ARMED FORCES DAY EVENT FEATURES MILITARY VEHICLES AND VIETNAM PHOTOS | Historical Society of Palm Beach County honors veterans, military legacy
The Historical Society of Palm Beach County will honor past and present U.S. troops during its popular free family event for Armed Forces Day, on Saturday, May 19. Visitors to the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum will be entertained and informed during a colorful commemoration of our nation’s military history and Palm Beach County’s veterans.
The event opens with the pledge of allegiance following a color guard ceremony at 10:30 am. Displays and presentations highlight resources for local veterans, and guests are invited to photograph and touch vintage and modern military vehicles. Various veteran organizations, including Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Wounded Veterans Relief Fund, and Palm Beach County Veterans Court will provide information. Children and adults are encouraged to decorate cards to be mailed to soldiers overseas, participate in free craft projects, and join docent-led museum tours.
DATE: Saturday, May 19, 2018
SCHEDULE: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm: Museum open; ongoing arts and crafts, and displays
10:30 am: Opening Ceremony | Pledge of Allegiance and Color Guard Presentation
11:30 am: Docent-led tour of special exhibit Shipwreck: Discovering Lost Treasures, on the second floor. The self-guided exhibit Picturing Nam: U.S. Military Photography of the Vietnam War is open in the third-floor historic courtroom.
LOCATION: The Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum in the historic 1916 Court House and its west lawn, 300 North Dixie Highway, downtown West Palm Beach
This event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the 4th Street lot across from the West Palm Beach fire station, between Dixie Highway and Olive Avenue. For more information, please call 561-832-4164 ext. 103 or visit www.hspbc.org.
Armed Forces Day Honor Guard Sponsor: Pratt & Whitney (a United Technologies Company)
Event Sponsor: Downtown Development Authority West Palm Beach and AARP Florida
This event is neither sponsored by nor affiliated with Palm Beach County government.
ABOUT ARMED FORCES DAY. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force Days. The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense. Then President Harry S. Truman stated at the time of its inception: “Armed Forces Day marks the first combined demonstration by America's defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense.” For more information on Armed Forces Day, please visit http://www.defense.gov/afd/history.aspx.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
THROUGH MAY 25
Picturing Nam: U.S. Military Photography of the Vietnam War
Photographs are a powerful part of our collective memory of the Vietnam War. Military photographers stationed in Vietnam took thousands of photographs that covered every aspect of the conflict—photographs that are now part of our National Archives. Their assignments sent them everywhere: the jungles and swamps, forward bases, hospital ships, rivers, and air bases. These indelible images give an intimate and ground up view of the war and those who fought it.
Presented in part by the Lawrence F. O’Brien family, Pritzker Military Museum & Library, AARP and the National Archives Foundation.
THROUGH JUNE 30
Shipwreck: Discovering Lost Treasures
First identified and named by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, the Gulf Stream current has since been utilized by shipping traffic as a nautical highway. The current’s proximity to the east coast of Florida, the often-volatile nature of the Atlantic Ocean, and the frequency of visiting hurricanes all contribute to the abundance of shipping disasters throughout our local history. The popular subject of shipwrecks serves as a lens through which the exhibit explores their impact on people and places. For early residents, shipwrecks provided raw materials; later, they became a resource for recreation, tourism, and the environment.
MUSEUM CLOSED: Monday, May 28 in observance of Memorial Day
ABOUT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PALM BEACH COUNTY
Since 1937 the Historical Society of Palm Beach County has collected, preserved, and shared the county’s history. The HSPBC reaches hundreds of thousands of Palm Beach County’s young people, residents, and visitors through its archival collections, the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum in West Palm Beach’s historic 1916 Courthouse, and community and education programming. To make a donation, become a member, or learn more about the HSPBC, call 561.832.4164 ext. 2 or visit www.hspbc.org.
ABOUT THE RICHARD AND PAT JOHNSON PALM BEACH COUNTY HISTORY MUSEUM
The Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum enriches the lives of children and adults alike by making local history accessible, interesting, and meaningful. The museum contains two second-floor interactive, permanent exhibits—The People Gallery and The Place Gallery—and a Rotating Exhibit Gallery. The free museum, in the historic 1916 Courthouse at 300 North Dixie Highway, is open Monday through Friday, 10 am - 5 pm; and Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm.
ABOUT THE 1916 HISTORIC COURTROOM AND FOURTH-FLOOR BALCONY
In addition to the permanent and rotating galleries on the second-floor museum level, visitors may tour the Courthouse’s two-story, 2,897-square-foot historic courtroom and balcony on the third and fourth floors of the building. A visit to the seat of the county’s judicial beginnings is a central component to the museum experience.
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