Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 117.djvu/1123

 117 STAT. 1104

PUBLIC LAW 108–87—SEPT. 30, 2003 (6) The United States has a need to preserve forever the knowledge and history of the Nation’s most decisive achievement in the 20th century and to portray that history to citizens, visitors, and school children for centuries to come. (7) Congress, recognizing the need to preserve this knowledge and history, appropriated funds in 1992 to authorize the design and construction of The National D-Day Museum in New Orleans to commemorate the epic 1944 Normandy invasion, and subsequently appropriated additional funds in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 to help expand the exhibits in the museum to include the D-Day invasions in the Pacific Theatre of Operations and the other campaigns of World War II. (8) The State of Louisiana and thousands of donors and foundations across the country have contributed millions of dollars to help build this national institution. (9) The Board of Trustees of The National D-Day Museum is national in scope and diverse in its makeup. (10) The World War II Memorial now under construction on the National Mall in Washington, the District of Columbia, will always be the memorial in our Nation where people come to remember America’s sacrifices in World War II, while The National D-Day Museum will always be the museum of the American experience in the World War II years (1939–1945), where people come to learn about Americans’ experiences during that critical period, as well as a place where the history of our Nation’s monumental struggle against worldwide aggression by would-be oppressors is preserved so that future generations can understand the role the United States played in the preservation and advancement of democracy and freedom in the middle of the 20th century. (11) The National D-Day Museum seeks to educate a diverse group of audiences through its collection of artifacts, photographs, letters, documents, and first-hand personal accounts of the participants in the war and on the home front during one of history’s darkest hours. (12) The National D-Day Museum is devoted to the combat experience of United States citizen soldiers in all of the theatres of World War II and to the heroic efforts of the men and women on the home front who worked tirelessly to support the troops and the war effort. (13) The National D-Day Museum continues to add to and maintain one of the largest personal history collections in the United States of the men and women who fought in World War II and who served on the home front. (14) No other museum describes as well the volunteer spirit that arose throughout the United States and united the country during the World War II years. (15) The National D-Day Museum is engaged in a 250,000 square foot expansion to include the Center for the Study of the American Spirit, an advanced format theatre, and a new United States pavilion. (16) The planned ‘‘We’re All in this Together’’ exhibit will describe the role every State, commonwealth, and territory played in World War II, and the computer database and software of The National D-Day Museum’s educational program

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