Women In Military Service For America Memorial

Alert—Change to WASP Celebration Events

(Updated 03/3/10)

It seems that each time we make an update, it means we have had a change in plans for the WASP Congressional Gold Medal Celebration. Regrettably, this message is more of the same. We sincerely apologize for the turmoil this may have caused for you, your family and friends. The extraordinary enthusiasm of the WASP and their overwhelming response has caused us to exceed capacity in every venue. As a result, we have had to institute some restrictions with respect to attendance and seating, and in the case of the Remembrance Ceremony, a change in venue. The following addresses each of those changes:

The Remembrance Ceremony, which is scheduled for 2 p.m., March 9, has been moved to the US Air Force Memorial, just above the Pentagon on Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA. The venue had to be moved from the World War II Memorial because the number of attendees far exceeded the limit permitted by the National Park Service. Everyone is welcome at this event at the Air Force Memorial but seating is limited to WASP and the WASP Representatives of the 38 who lost their lives in training and in the line of duty. The Air Force Memorial's address is One Air Force Memorial Dr., Arlington, VA 22211. Parking is limited. The US Air Force Memorial is the newest in the family of national memorials in the DC area. The WASP were among the honored guests during the Memorial's dedication in 2006.

Bus transportation for the Remembrance Ceremony will depart the Gaylord National Hotel at 1:00 p.m. As a reminder, WASP travel free and all others must pay $20 that will cover all bus transportation during the celebration. To assure we order enough buses, RSVP is required for all passengers - see Reservation Form on the Women's Memorial Web site.

Following the ceremony, buses will transport WASP + two (2) guests and WASP Representatives + one (1) guest to the Women's Memorial for the Welcome Salute Reception. All others with bus passes may board the buses for return to the Gaylord National Hotel. We are making arrangements for a windshield tour of Washington, DC, during the return trip. The WASP, WASP representatives and their guests will be transported back to the hotel following the reception.

As indicated in the above paragraph, we have had to dramatically curtail the number of guests attending the 4 p.m., March 9, Welcome Salute Reception at the Women's Memorial. Even though we arranged for a large party tent on the Memorial Plaza to accommodate the enormous number of guests, we were still three times the capacity of the Memorial and the tent. The National Park Service has required us to bring the number into safety and security conformance. In order to assure we accommodate the WASP and the WASP Representatives as the first priority, we have had to limit attendance to WASP + two (2) guests and WASP Representatives + one (1) guest. This was an extremely painful decision but the best possible under the circumstances. While the Memorial will be closed to the public after 2 p.m. on March 9, it will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, for you to visit and to see the Fly Girls of World War II exhibit while you are in the area.

As a reminder, the reception following the WASP Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony on March 10 has been cancelled. The decision had to be made to assure the safety and security of all attendees at the ceremony. The reception had to be cancelled in order to use the space for overflow for ceremony guests.

If you have not forwarded a Reservation Form to the Women's Memorial Foundation for the events on March 9, please call 800-222-2294/703-533-1155 as soon as possible. You must have a bus pass in order to ride the bus. Event tickets are required for seating at the Remembrance Ceremony, and admittance and seating at the Women's Memorial Reception. We will package all bus passes and tickets for each of these events by WASP family group under the name of the WASP. The packages will be at the Gaylord National Hotel during the morning of March 9, until the buses depart for the Remembrance Ceremony at 1 p.m. Bus passes and tickets will also be available at the Women's Memorial during the March 9 reception.

Thank your for your patience and understanding as we have worked to put together these events in record time. Our goal remains as it always has been, is to make this a great celebration for the WASP.