70th Anniversary of D-Day: Operation THANK YOU

We at the National D-Day Memorial are busy preparing for the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.  I know that we are nine months (and one day) shy of the event, but this is going to be huge, and right now I want to take a moment to invite all educators and students to participate in a very special program.

OPERATION "THANK YOU"

65th Anniversary winner: California Resident George Tilton-Low, aged 7

June 6, 2014 marks the 70^th Anniversary of D-Day, the largest land, air, and sea operation in history and a day that changed the course of history. Of the 150,000 Allied servicemen and women who participated in the invasion, only a handful still remain. The younger D-Day veterans will turn 92 years of age this year; by the 75^th anniversary in 2019, they will be all but gone. The opportunity to thank these men and women for their service while they still walk among us, while they can experience our thanks and appreciate it, will soon be lost. The time to act is NOW.

Operation “THANK YOU” is one way educators can get their students involved in the observance of the D-Day anniversary. The purpose of Operation THANK YOU is to have students offer messages of thanks to our WWII and D-Day veterans in highly visual formats. Educators are invited to have their students spell out “THANK YOU” as creatively as possible and submit a photograph of their results. The key is creativity – use the student body to spell out “THANK YOU” in giant letters on the football field, or spell it out with a collage of images from WWII. Get creative and say thanks!

A panel of judges will select the most creative “THANK YOU” image, which will then be used on the cover of the commemorative program for the 70^th Anniversary of D-Day at the National D-Day Memorial in June 2014. Superior entries will be featured in local media to help promote the 70^th Anniversary of D-Day at the National D-Day Memorial next year.

RULES:

Entries must be received by January 10, 2014 to be considered. Send your submission to:

National D-Day Memorial Foundation

Attn: Operation THANK YOU

PO Box 77

Bedford, VA 24523

or submit via email at dday@dday.org. Be sure to include your name, school, mailing address, phone number, and email address. Students in grades K-12 in public and private schools are eligible to participate. Submissions must be in the form of color photographs or digital images – no original artwork or videos will be accepted. Students may submit work individually or in groups, but no more than one entry per person will be accepted. All submissions become property of the National D-Day Memorial Foundation. The Foundation is not responsible for lost or damaged submissions. For more information, contact the Education Department of the National D-Day Memorial Foundation at (540) 586-3329 or visit our website at www.dday.org.

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I look forward to seeing entries from across the county!   

~Felicia