Buffalo Naval Park to honor D-Day Ann. with garden exhibition

Buffalo, New York (WBEN) – To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings or D-Day, the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park will host a special dedication ceremony and unveiling of a special new portion of its Monument Garden on Thursday.

“When people come down, they can see over 15 different monuments and memorials. And this year we have a plaque and display set up in our gardens to honor the 80th anniversary of that day,” said Shane Stephenson, curator and director of the museum. Collections at the park.

Everyone is invited to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at 10 a.m. ET, which includes a sand-sprinkling of Normandy Beach and the unveiling of the garden with a replica of a Czech hedgehog and other educational exhibits.

“(It) will really be something that people can reflect on to commemorate this day and to teach children and grandchildren what over 4,000 Sailors and Soldiers sacrificed that day,” added Stevenson, who noted that many veterans will be present, including one or two D-Day veterans.

Everyone is invited to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. ET, which includes a sand-sprinkling of Normandy Beach and the unveiling of the garden with a replica of a Czech hedgehog and other educational exhibits.

“We know that there were at least 20 service members from Buffalo and Western New York who died that day, June 6, 1944. That number probably increases as you go forward, the D-day plus one, D-day plus two, which would have been June 7 and 8, 1944, but we have a list of the names of the 20 veterans.

Meanwhile, in the park, fundraising efforts continue to fully repair the USS The Sullivans, with the plan being to put the ship in dry dock to make major repairs to the hull. However, the closest dry dock is in Erie, Pennsylvania, which is an expensive endeavor.

“Leadership and staff have worked together to create another campaign fundraiser in fall 2024. We are working with the Dry Dock to obtain cost estimates. We are currently looking at a deficit of approximately $13 million. we’re reaching out to New York State, the county and the city of Buffalo, with proposals and plans to see if we can get that funding, as well as through grants. But we ourselves are planning another fundraising campaign for early fall 2024, which will lead into fall 2024. 2025, when we hope to dry dock the USS The Sullivans,” Stephenson said .