Veterans Day 2026

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Atlanta History Center invites all active-duty service members, veterans, their families, and grateful community members to our annual Veterans Day Commemoration Ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 11:00am in Veterans Park.

2026 marks 250 years of American independence, which will be recognized through the ceremony and additional programming throughout the day.

Are you an active service member or veteran? Please join us for a special breakfast before the Ceremony on Veterans Day. Registration is required. Please email programs@atlantahistorycenter.com with your interest. Limited tickets available, first come first served.

Commemoration Ceremony

11:00am-12:00pm

Keynote Speaker – Nicholas Reynolds, Colonel USMCR (Ret)

Master of Ceremonies- Commissioner Patricia Ross, Georgia Department of Veterans Service

Atlanta History Center’s annual Veterans Day Commemoration Ceremony honors the sacrifice of the women and men who served in the United States armed forces.

The ceremony is free to attend and will take place at 11 am in Veterans Park on the Atlanta History Center campus. Seating is first come, first served. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will move to an indoor location.

More about Nicholas Reynolds, Colonel USMCR (Ret)

Growing up in the shadow of World War II fueled this author’s passion for history. Freshly minted PhD from Oxford University in hand, Nicholas Reynolds joined the United States Marine Corps, serving as an infantry officer and then as a historian. He later served as a CIA officer, ending his career with a years-long stretch as the historian for the CIA Museum. In retirement, he teaches and writes. His most recent book was Need to Know, World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence , designated one of the “Best of 2022” by The New Yorker . He and his wife, Becky, live outside Washington, DC and care for a Havanese named Ruby.

Veterans Day Programming: 9am-2pm

Ortiz’s War: Book Signing with Katie S. Sanders

9:30AM—10:30AM

Purchase your own copy of Ortiz’s War , the true story of Peter J. Ortiz and his path to becoming the most battle-decorated member of America’s first spy agency—and one of the most decorated Marines of World War II. Come back for the Author Talk later in the evening to learn more about Ortiz’s story from authors Nicholas Reynolds and Katie S. Sanders .

Katie S. Sanders is an award-winning journalist who has written for National Geographic, The New York Times, Washington Post Magazine, New York, TIME, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, Insider, Glamour, and Marie Claire. Her reporting has brought her to the CIA, the White House, and the homes and reunions of many World War II veterans and Holocaust survivors.

Atlanta Opera Performance

10:00am

Hear a selection from The Atlanta Opera’s Silent Night , a Pulitzer-Prize winning contemporary opera by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell based on the powe