WVA Chapter 20 is planning a road trip for this event!  Please read all the way to the bottom of the page for details about how YOU can join us!!!!

The Women In Military Service For America Memorial 10th Anniversary Celebration

November 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd 2007, Washington, DC

The Women In Military Service For America Memorial (WIMSA) is a unique, living memorial honoring all military women - past, present and future - and is the only major national memorial honoring women who have served in our nation's defense during all eras and in all services.  The Memorial is located at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.  Work on the Memorial was in progress for about 11 years and it was dedicated on October 18, 1997. Some 200,000 people visit the Memorial annually.  This October marks the 10^th anniversary of the WIMSA dedication.  

Mark your calendars to join us and other military women, past and present, along with family members and friends on Nov. 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd for the WIMSA 10th anniversary celebration.

Preliminary plans include a gala on the night of Nov. 1st. This formal event is planned for the Great Hall of the National Building Museum, an extraordinary place that has been the site for many Presidential Inaugural Balls beginning in 1885.

The Reunion Program is being planned for Friday, Nov. 2nd, at the DC Armory. This event will be a more casual time of fun and camaraderie. At present, the time is only tentatively set for the late afternoon and early evening in order to give folks the opportunity for a free evening with old friends and comrades.

On Saturday, Nov. 3^rd, will be the anniversary program, which is scheduled for early afternoon at the Memorial. This program will include formal military honors, remarks by former and current military women representing each of the services, as well as senior Department of Defense and other government officials.

The closing event will be a candlelight march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Women’s Memorial, a favorite event for many attending the dedication celebration 10 years ago.

More specific details will be available over the coming weeks and months.  You can keep informed of the specifics, reservation information, and other pertinent details through the WIMSA web site:  http://www.womensmemorial.org/index.html. 

In the interim, WIMSA is still collecting data about possible attendance; so if you are even thinking about attending the 10th Anniversary Celebration, please let them know by e-mailing 10anniv@womensmemorial.org or by calling 703-533-1155 or 800-222-2294. Please be sure to include your name. WIMSA would also be interested in getting your thoughts about the proposed time for the Reunion program on Friday.

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Women Veterans of America Chapter 20 is planning a bus trip to DC to celebrate the 10^th anniversary.  We will depart the Nashville VA Medical Center at 6:00 am on Thursday, November 1^st, stopping in Knoxville approximately 4 hours later, to pick up other women veterans from that area.  We will return on Sunday, November 4^th, leaving DC at approximately 7:00 am.  If you wish to travel with us, you are responsible for making your own arrangements to meet the bus in Nashville or in Knoxville.  No other stops will be made to pick up passengers. 

We have contracted with Anchor Tours, Inc. for transportation and lodging.  The price of the trip will vary somewhat based on the final number of passengers and the number of persons sharing a room.  Estimates range from around $350 for a four-person room to $650 for a single person room.  These amounts may go up or come down, depending on the final paid registrations.  The amount paid to Anchor Tours will include the bus, three nights accommodations, breakfast for three mornings, a 4-hour DC tour, and a dinner cruise on the Potomac River ONLY.  All other meals and functions will be at each traveler’s expense, as well as any WIMSA events that require registration fees of any kind.     

The only requirement for joining us on this trip is that you be a woman veteran that is affiliated with the Women Veterans Network of the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, OR that you be a member of Women Veterans of America.  If you are not a member, you can submit your WVA membership application along with your trip registration.  The registration form can be printed by clicking on the link on this page.  For more information, please send an email to: WVAChapter20@aol.com.   

Your check or money order made payable to Anchor Tours, Inc.  MUST BE INCLUDED with your registration form for your seat on the bus to be reserved.  Registrations will be taken in the order that they are received, FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE.  If we have a full bus when your registration is received, you will be notified and your check or money order will be returned to you.  Please mail all registrations to WIMSA Trip, WVA Chapter 20, P.O. Box 121884, Nashville, TN  37212.           

We are excited about this trip and expect to have a fantastic time.  If you cannot travel with us, we encourage other groups of women veterans to band together and make the journey.  Or, travel with your family or friends.  But, please, if you are a woman veteran and you are physically and financially able to make the trip—GO!  This will be a wonderful time of celebration for women veterans of all ages and eras.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!