National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. Hosts Special Ceremony on Sept. 6 to Honor Marquis de Lafayette
Published: 12 August 2024
By Doughboy Foundation staff
Lafayette header
(left) A portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette that hangs in the Entrance Hall of Blair House in Washington, DC. This is a fitting location for this painting since Lafayette was the nation’s guest in 1824-25, and Blair House serves as the President’s guesthouse for today’s visiting heads of state.(right) On July 2, 1917, United States troops made a symbolic march through Paris ending at the grave of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had convinced the French to aid in the American Revolution. Standing in front of the tomb, Colonel Charles Stanton famously declared, “Lafayette, we are here!” This phrase was largely attributed to General Pershing, though he did not say it. (Lithograph image courtesy Pritzker Military Museum and Memorial.)
The Doughboy Foundation announces special event for Lafayette featuring speakers from the French Embassy and American Friends of Lafayette to mark bicentennial of his American visit
The Doughboy Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes the education of our nation’s role in World War I, has announced a formal wreath laying ceremony to honor the birthday of Marquis de Lafayette and recognize the bicentennial of his visit to the United States in 1824. During his trip to the United States, La Fayette visited 24 different states and was lauded as the then-oldest living major general from the Revolutionary War. (Note: the French spelling of the name is “Marquis de La Fayette.”)
The ceremony will take place on Friday, September 6, at 11 a.m. at the National World War I Memorial in Washington D.C., by the statue of General John Pershing. The general public is invited to attend the event, which will feature keynote remarks from Colonel Thibaud Thomas, Military Attaché, French Embassy. Additional speakers at the ceremony include Chuck Schwam, Executive Director for American Friends of Lafayette, Daniel Dayton, President of the World War I Centennial Commission, and Pamela Rouse Wright, President General for the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The wreath laying will be punctuated by performances from the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) Band Brass Quintet, including the playing of “Hail To The Spirit of Liberty” by John Philip Sousa, and appearances by World War I re-enactors from the Doughboy Foundation.
The event kicks off an important week for the National World War I Memorial, as it will host the First Illumination Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 13, to mark its formal completion with the installation of a new, 25-ton sculpture, “A Soldier’s Journey” from acclaimed master sculptor Sabin Howard. The Doughboy Foundation and the World War I Centennial Commission will host a plethora of events at the National World War I Memorial on Saturday, Sept. 14, and Sunday, Sept. 15, as part of a special “WWI Living History Weekend” program to mark the memorial’s completion.
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