Salute veterans at WWII museum

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel editor
• Published: Nov 9, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Veterans, along with active and retired military and their families, will be honored at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11, with daylong programs and free admission.

Activities kick off at 10:30 a.m. with a performance by the U.S. Marine Forces Reserve Band. At 11 a.m., the museum will present a special program featuring retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Mize; Gen. Charles E. Campbell, commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command; and museum president and CEO Gordon “Nick” Mueller.

At 2 p.m., the museum will host a discussion by Evan Hunsberger, who spearheaded the republishing of Strength for Service to God and Country, the devotional book that was carried by his grandfather during World War II. Larry Coppock, director of Strength for Service, will join Hunsberger for remarks on faith in the military. The program will be followed by a panel discussion with the Eagle Scouts.

Throughout the day, there will be displays by the American Legion, the Boy Scouts of America, the Reserve Officers Association and other service organizations.

Visitors also will be able to see the Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, the naval dive bomber that played a major role in the Pacific theater of WWII. On loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Fla.,; this Dauntless took part in Guadalcanal and other support actions.

The plane crashed in Lake Michigan during a training exercise, was recovered in 1990 and was fully restored.

All events will take place in the museum’s Louisiana Memorial Pavilion and will be free to the public. Contact (504) 527-6012 or http://www.nationalww2museum.org.

Thanksgiving story
Rivertown Children’s Castle, 501 Williams Blvd. in Kenner, will present storyteller Frank Levy with his Instant Theater Production of The First Thanksgivings at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15.

Get ready for Thanksgiving with stories about the holiday. Tickets are $5. Bring two non-perishable food items and receive $1 off ticket price. Contact (504) 468-7231.

St. Michael’s tour
Crazy ‘Bout History Inc., a nonprofit organization, is sponsoring the St. Michael’s Cemetery and Mourning Tour in Convent Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 15-16.

Dubbed “Gone but Not Forgotten,” the tour includes St. Michael’s Church, grotto, cemetery, rectory and the historic home of Judge Felix Poche.

The tours are presented in storytelling formats to help people better understand how pioneer families lived in the River Parishes. Costumed portrayers will be seen as a gospel singer, priest, slave, Indian, planters, women and children.

Tours are scheduled every 45 minutes. Saturday hours are 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and Sunday hours are 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Advance tickets, available at the River Parishes Tourist Commission, 2900 La. 51 in La Place, are $17 per person. Tickets will be available at the door on days of the tour. Lunch can be purchased at the church hall. Call (225) 869-8148.