Soldiers & Sailors event commemorates D-Day

Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum and the Pittsburgh chapter of Pets for Vets at Animal Friends are partnering in the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

The event begins with at 9:30 a.m. June 6 with the national anthem and invocation at the 4141 Fifth Ave., Oakland, museum.

Curator Michael Kraus will address the importance of D-Day and highlight the story of John Pinder, Pittsburgh native and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. That medal is part of the museum’s collection. Members of the Pinder family will attend and the citation for the medal will be read.

Also in attendance will be World War II Veteran Glenn Kempf, who will be recognized for his actions as a medic on D-Day. Kempf helped establish the first hospital on Omaha Beach, and was awarded the French Medal of Honor, museum officials say.

A representative from Pets for Vets at Animal Friends is expected to share more information about its mission, says Tim Neff, director of museum and education. Animal Friends offers targeted adoption programs to support and thank the region’s veterans.

The ceremony is free and open to the public, museum officials say. The museum will be open following the ceremony and will feature a special D-Day 75 exhibit.

The exhibit runs through June 30, and includes a wind-torn 48-state U.S. flag flown from LCI 540 (Landing Craft Infantry) when it landed on Omaha Beach; a photo of Frank Miller, killed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944; items recovered on D-Day by U.S. soldiers, including a British helmet, Mp40 German sub-machine gun and German helmet; rare materials related to the famous 82nd Airborne Division including a jump uniform, photographs and a dress uniform with jump wing insignia worn home at the end of the war; and secret orders issued to the invading force, the museum’s website notes.

Regular museum admission price applies.

Details: 412-621-4253 or soldiersandsailors.org