George McGovern comes to The National WWII Museum

Senator’s April 18 lecture focuses on “Wars Past and Present”



NEW ORLEANS (April 8, 2009) – The National World War II Museum will welcome distinguished senator and World War II veteran George S. McGovern on April 18, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Senator McGovern’s presentation, “Wars Past and Present” will draw parallels between the Civil War, World War II and the world we live in today based on his own experiences as well as his new book, Abraham Lincoln.



McGovern, the Democratic Party's nominee for president in 1972, served in the House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961 and in the Senate for eighteen years. He was the president of the Middle East Policy Council in Washington, D.C., for six years and then served as ambassador to the UN Agencies on Food and Agriculture in Rome under President Clinton. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for service as a bomber pilot in World War II and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for humanitarian service.



There will be a book signing immediately following the presentation. The Senator will be signing his new book Abraham Lincoln, the latest edition in the American Presidents Series, edited by the late Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Due to publisher restrictions, all copies of Abraham Lincoln must be purchased at the lecture.



Senator McGovern will also sign Stephen E. Ambrose’s The Wild Blue which chronicles McGovern’s 35 missions flown and actions for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross as a B-24 pilot over Europe during WWII. It was his exposure to suffering civilians in war-torn Europe that led him to become a lifelong advocate for solving world hunger.



For more information on this free event, please call 504-527-6012 ext. 331.



The National World War II Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. The Museum is in the midst of a $300 million multi-phase expansion project that will open its first buildings in the November 2009, The Victory Theater and The Stage Door Canteen. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-527-6012 or visit www.nationalww2museum.org.