Battle of Midway 66th Commemoration


The Navy Memorial hosted the Naval District Washington’s 66th anniversary of the Battle of Midway on Wednesday, June 4, 2008.  

The event, which included a public commemorative wreathlaying ceremony, was attended by Battle of Midway veterans who travelled from all over the country to participate--such as Chief Warrant Officer Frank Boo USN (Ret.), Petty Officer First Class Bernard Cotton, Captain Jack Crawford USN (Ret.), and Chief Howard Snell, USN (Ret.).

Click here to read the full calendar announcement!

11:00 a.m. Naval District Washington commemorative wreathlaying ceremony at the Navy Memorial

12:00 p.m. Book signing with Jon Parshall, one of the authors of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

1:00 p.m. Screening of "Destination Point Luck: Voices of Midway," a new documentary produced by the Naval Media Center. (At the Arleigh & Roberta Burke Theater inside the Naval Heritage Center).

All events were free and open to the public.

What made the Battle of Midway so significant?

The Battle of Midway (1942) was the turning point in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. It saw American forces ambushing a Japanese invasion fleet as it sailed to attack the American outpost on the island of Midway. Although they were outnumbered, especially in the critical fleet component of aircraft carriers, the American task force under Admiral Nimitz managed to put four of the Japanese Navy's carriers out of action at a cost of one American carrier. The Japanese momentum in the Pacific theatre was blunted, and the initiative had passed to the Americans. (To learn more about this amazing feat in U.S. military history, click here.)

For more information, contact:
United States Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004-2608
(202) 737-2300