On the weekend following Veterans Day, members of two local heritage societies paid tribute to our military at the Virginia War Memorial.

At the invitation of the Colonial Dames, members and guests of the William Taylor Chapter of the DAR and the Meherrin Chapter of the Colonial Dames XVII Century traveled to Richmond where they visited the memorial. They enjoyed lunch, visited the War Memorial Museum, viewed two stirring videos and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the foot of the impressive memorial statue.

The Virginia War Memorial is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s monument to honor the memory of Virginia’s men and women who from World War II to the present demonstrated a willingness to serve and fight to defend the American way of life. The memorial’s stated mission is “Honoring our Veterans, Preserving our History, Educating our Youth, and Inspiring Patriotism in All.”

The group was especially honored to have the docent for its tour Wilton Curtis of Richmond, who is sometimes referred to as “Mr. Virginia War Museum.”  Those in attendance returned to Southside Virginia both impressed and inspired by the ways in which the memorial carries out its purposes.