Remembrance Day in Gettysburg

Originally published January 2024 · p. 20

GETTYSBURG, Penn.—A collection of Gettysburg royalty, including Acting Park Superintendent Zachary Bolitho; Gettysburg College president Robert Iuliano; Gettysburg Foundation chair Wayne Motts; Lincoln scholar and Lincoln Forum chair Harold Holzer; writer and policy analyst Susan Eisenhower; and Wendy Allen, president of the Lincoln Fellowship, moved indoors to the Majestic Theater to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the most famous presidential speech ever. Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of the president, gave the principal address. She reflected on the importance of Gettysburg. She noted that in the years after World War II, “men like Churchill and DeGaulle and Montgomery came and toured this place with their Supreme Commander and reflected on the loss. … Gettysburg became central and still is a centerpiece of the battle for cultural identity.” She concluded, “What a debt we owe these young men who died here. These young men gave us another chance to be better than we thought we could be. We must find common ground; our country‘s future depends on it.” After Eisenhower’s speech, two-time Grammy winning opera singer J’Nai Bridges stunned the crowd with a powerful performance of the two songs contralto Marian Anderson sang at the 1963 Dedication Day ceremonies: “Lead Kindly Light” and “He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands.” Then, what for many people is the high point of the ceremony, Lori Pietropaoli, regional director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, administered the oath of allegiance to 16 new U.S. citizens who came from eight countries: Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Liberia, Malaysia, and Mexico. When the oath was completed, the members of the audience stood and gave a rousing ovation to welcome their newest fellow citizens.

The ceremony concluded with actor Graham Sibley, who played Lincoln in the recent History Channel mini-series, giving an intense, brooding reading of the Gettysburg Address. Other participants included the 11th Pennsylvania Color Guard, Gettysburg High School Ceremonial Band, and soloist Wayne Hill, who sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The annual event has been organized by the Lincoln

Fellowship since 1938. The event is usually held at the Rostrum in the National Cemetery; the ceremony was moved indoors for only the second time because of fears of a government shutdown. Allen was highly complementary of the Majestic Theater staff for getting things ready on very short notice. Previous speakers have included Presidents Truman and Eisenhower; Justices O’Connor and Scalia, Carl Sandburg, Steven Speilburg, and Ken Burns.

Susan Eisenhower. Gettysburg Foundation chair Wayne Motts.

Graham Sibley.

Lori Pietropaoli.