Event Summary

andmark Events invites you to join us as we explore the providential aspects of WWII, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. We will stay one night aboard the Battleship Alabama, experience the magnificent WWII Museum in New Orleans, walk the storied battlefield of Chalmette Plantation and mine the lessons from the heroes and heroines buried in Metairie Cemetery. We will finish in style as we host a private banquet featuring WWII veterans inside the fabulous WWII Museum including our special guest, WWII veteran Herb Griffin. It will be an unforgettable history weekend!

Our “D-Day” World War II tour will begin on board the USS Alabama in Mobile Bay; the battleship is a much-decorated (9 Battle Stars!) floating museum of the War in the Pacific. We will explore the ship, from the 16-inch guns to the 20mm cannons on all decks, and sleep on the bunks of the crew. Our visit the next few days in New Orleans will feature the magnificent D-Day Museum where we will meet veterans, enjoy the state-of-the-art interactive displays, and view the live footage from the war. This system of museums also features a thrilling WWII-submarine-in-the-Pacific experience!

We will visit the Chalmette Battlefield where General Andrew Jackson’s army faced the best England had to offer and whipped them full sore. Almost the whole battlefield is preserved and we will walk it from one end to the other with battlefield historian Bill Potter. Our visit to the Metairie Cemetery will include compelling stories at the gravesides of Generals and Preachers, where we see the providence of God in the lives of these individuals and our nation. Join us as we learn and fellowship and praise to God for all his mighty acts; you won’t be the same at the end.

Tour Highlights

USS Alabama — Mobile Bay

The largest and most costly war in the history of mankind occurred a mere 75 years ago. Millions of men served in the armed forces of most nations in the world and millions died, both civilian and military. In the aftermath, national boundaries changed, governments fell and were replaced, often by worse ones, and a new type of war began between the two superpowers left standing. Among the key weapons that brought about victory for the United States, were the powerful battleships, carriers, and submarines of the Pacific Fleet. We begin our tour aboard one of those battleships, the USS Alabama (BB-60), anchored now in Mobile Bay. The fathers and sons will have the unusual opportunity to spend the first night aboard this iconic ship, sleeping in the bunks of the berthing deck. We have the run of the ship and will be taught by military historian Bill Potter about the war, battleships and the role of the Alabama in many major battles in the Pacific.

Chalmette Plantation — War of 1812

After a short drive from Mobile to New Orleans, we will visit two premier historical sites that should be on everyone’s bucket list, more than once. In 1812, the United States were on the verge of losing a war to Great Britain. In a final attempt to wrest the Mississippi from our grasp, a veteran army, fresh from defeating Napoleon Bonaparte, was sent to capture New Orleans. President Madison sent General Andrew Jackson, already both victorious and notorious to stop them. In one of the most decisive engagements in American history, Jackson met the British army at Chalmette Plantation outside of the city and routed them in what some thought to be a miraculous accomplishment. We will walk the battlefield, tell the amazing stories, and wonder too at how such a small and diverse army could have defeated one of the most powerful forces on the planet.

Metairie Cemetery

We will also pay our respects to some of the great men of the past who are buried in Metairie Cemetery; men such as Confederate Generals John Bell Hood and Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard and the Army of Tennessee and Army of Northern Virginia memorials. Metairie is also the not so final resting place of Pastor Benjamin Morgan Palmer, one of the most remarkable and effective preachers of the Gospel in the 19th Century. We will meet at the gravesites and tell stories of daring, failure and faithfulness.

D-Day Museum

New Orleans is home to the world-renowned D-Day Museum, founded through the inspiration of WWII historian Stephen Ambrose. One of the greatest soul-stirring and significant battles of that war — or any war — was the Allied attack on 6 June, 1944 on the beaches of the Normandy coast of France. “The Mighty Endeavor” by hundreds of thousands of American, British, and Canadian troops in airborne attacks, naval bombardment, and bold-faced infantry assaults combined to initiate the drive through France and Belgium to liberate Europe from the domination of Adolph Hitler’s Germany. The multi-building, state-of-the-art, interactive museum presents D-Day and WWII in one powerful and unforgettable experience. We will offer a full day and a half of experiencing the museum, the D-Day Veterans, and expert interpreters on the very anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied counter-invasion of France.

D-Day Tribute Banquet

We will end our D-Day experience with a private banquet held in the Stage Door Canteen at the D-Day Museum.

Following an exclusive movie screening for our group, we will dine with our friends and hear testimonies from our honored WWII Veterans as they recount their adventures and the lessons learned over 70 years ago. This is a golden opportunity to connect with a generation from a remarkable time in history.

Our themes that underlie this tour will include the high cost of defending liberty, the fallibility of man and the sovereignty of God, the importance of duty well-performed, burdens of leadership, role of communications and secrets in war, and the importance of remembering and commemorating the men and events of the past.

Ticket Pricing

(Choose Full Tour or Á la Carte Options)

Dad Can’t Make It?

Young men whose fathers are unable to join us on the tour are welcome to spend the night with the other boys and men onboard the battleship! Contact Kevin Turley at (210) 885-9351 or email at info@landmarkevents.org for more information and to reserve a bunk!

What about the Ladies on Friday Evening?

We suggest the Hampton Inn in Mobile for the ladies whose men and boys are on the USS Alabama Friday night. There will be an opportunity to gather for informal fellowship in the evening. No room block is reserved but rates were around $110 last we checked.

Event Speakers

Bill Potter

Herb Griffin

Event Schedule

Please check back. More schedule info coming soon.

Accommodations

Mobile, Alabama

New Orleans

Recommended Reading

D-Day, by Stephen Ambrose
Theodore Roosevelt: The Life of a War Hero, by H. Paul Jeffers
Decision in Normandy, by Carlos D’Este
A Short History of WWII, by James Stokesbury
American Lion, by Jon Meachum