The City of Lake Charles is announcing an expanded line-up of events for Veterans Day 2024. 

On Friday, November 8, the City is collaborating with the Daughters of the American Revolution to unveil the brand-new Gerstner Field Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park, located on Veterans Memorial Parkway, at 1 pm.  

The memorial will honor the history of the World War I pilot training base located in Lake Charles. More than 3,000 pilots passed through this unique location that provided flight courses, advanced flight training and gunnery courses in one location. Gerstner Field was the site of many aviation firsts, including the first military airfield in Louisiana, the first flight ambulance and the first aerial gunnery school to use floating targets.

On Saturday, November 9, from 10 am – 2 pm, the City of Lake Charles Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission and Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs will host a Veterans Outreach Event inside the Lake Charles Event Center Coliseum (900 Lakeshore Dr.). This event is free and open to veterans and their families and will feature a host of vendors with services tailored to veterans. Some services may require specific documentation such as discharge paperwork, medical records or proofs of identity. ID card processing requirements can be found at https://home.army.mil/johnson/my-Fort-Johnson/all-services/id-cardsdeers 

On Monday, November 11, 2024, at 10 am, the City of Lake Charles Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission will host the City’s annual Veterans Day Celebration at Veterans Memorial Park, located on Veterans Memorial Parkway.  

This year’s program will pay special tribute to female veterans, honoring women who have served, and will feature guest speaker CDR Elizabeth Newton, USCG Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles. 

Immediately following the program, a ceremonial groundbreaking will be held for the Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The memorial, set to be located inside Veterans Memorial Park, will pay tribute to the 885 Louisiana Vietnam War casualties. This memorial, thanks to recent state legislation sponsored by Senator Jeremy Stine, will be the official and only State of Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  

Additionally, two exhibits, honoring veterans, will be on display at Historic City Hall (1001 Ryan St.) in November. The Daughters of the American Revolution will have a special exhibit on display from November 2 through November 14. The City of Lake Charles, Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission and Historic City Hall will also present a special exhibit titled, “Women Who Served,” honoring Southwest Louisiana’s female veterans. This exhibit will be on display beginning November 1 and will close on November 30. Admission to Historic City Hall is free and hours of operation are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm. 

Event sponsors include the City of Lake Charles, Neurosurgery Consultants, L’Auberge Lake Charles, Stockwell Sievert, Lake Charles Toyota, LyondellBasell, Acadian Ambulance Service and Optimum. 

For more information, call (337) 491-1383 or email tanya.senegal@cityoflc.us.