Featured image courtesy Museum of Flight, Tukwila, Washington

Memorial Day weekend kicks off today with a grand opening and dedication of the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park at the Museum of Flight. The celebration begins at 11 a.m. and features aircraft flyovers, an Honor Guard presentation, and a special pinning ceremony for Vietnam veterans to honor their service.

Admission to this special event is free. Find more information and parking information at the dedication ceremony page.

The park features the restored Midnight Express, a Boeing B-52G Stratofortress warbird that served during the Vietnam War. Sculptor and veteran James J. Nance created the Vietnam Airman statue. Along the footpath under the Midnight Express, plaques contributed by families and friends honor those who served.

This idea for this park, which became known as Project Welcome Home, started 25 years ago.

Throughout the weekend (Saturday-Monday, May 25-27), the Museum of Flight is offering free admission and 50% discount admission to the Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission for Veterans exhibit.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 East Marginal Way South in Tukwila, Washington, south of Seattle. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park is behind the Aviation Pavilion.

If you can’t attend, the Museum of Flight will stream the ceremony through Vimeo starting at 11 a.m.

Learn more about the Midnight Express restoration project, the park, and how you can reserve a plaque for a veteran family member or friend at the Project Welcome Home page.