(Richmond) The Virginia War Memorial will host the 69th annual Commonwealth’s Veterans Ceremony at 3 p.m., Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
Members of the public and especially those who have served or currently serve in the U.S. armed forces and their families are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in this special ceremony which honors and celebrates the millions of men and women veterans who served in war and peacetime from the Revolutionary War to today.
The program will include a tribute to Virginia Blue Star families, the recognition of the Virginia War Memorial’s “Virginia Military Family of the Year”, and the winners of the Virginia War Memorial’s “2025 Veterans Day Student Essay Contest.” Patriotic music will be provided by the Combined Northside High School Choir from Roanoke, Virginia.
“This year’s Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony is especially meaningful as it was 250 years ago that the Continental Congress formed the first American Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and whose members became America’s first military veterans,” said Virginia War Memorial Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle. “We honor and remember them every day, but Veterans Day is especially meaningful,” he added.
The 69th annual Commonwealth’s Veteran Day Ceremony will be held outdoors in the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater on the Memorial’s grounds at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Va. 23220. Attendees are encouraged to arrive by 2:30 p.m. to be seated. Admission is free and parking is available in the Memorial’s surface lot and underground deck, and on nearby streets. The Memorial’s grounds and exhibit hall will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for visitors.
For those that cannot attend in person, the 69th annual Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony will also again be televised live on WTVR CBS6.1 and 6.3 television in Richmond and livestreamed on WTVR.com. and WTKR.com in Norfolk. For more information please visit www.vawarmemorial.org or www.dvs.virginia.gov or telephone 804.786.2060.
