This Memorial Day, as the nation remembered the service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum dedicated nine new Seats of Honor in the Museum’s Allison & Howard Lutnick Theater. The new honorees included a World War II crew member who made a lifelong friend aboard Intrepid; a mother whose diary detailed a young love, lost to a kamikaze attack; a rescue swimmer from an Intrepid helicopter squadron; a sailor who swam to safety as his ship, USS Abner Read, sank beneath him; and the sailors of Gun Tub 10, who bravely defended Intrepid and their shipmates in the face of terrifying danger.

This was the eighth dedication ceremony held at the Museum, and each one has added unique stories to the Museum’s collection. To date, the Museum has dedicated 150 seats and welcomed more than 800 service members and their families at the dedication ceremonies. Of special note this Memorial Day were Bill Bielawski, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday and made the trip from California with his two daughters, and Henry Mouzon, an African American sailor who was wounded during a kamikaze attack on Intrepid in World War II.

Each seat is dedicated with a brass plaque inscribed with the honoree’s name and a personal message. Dedicating a Seat of Honor is a wonderful way to pay tribute to current and former members of the U.S. military while providing vital support for the Intrepid Museum’s mission to honor our heroes, educate the public and inspire our youth. The legacies represented by these new Seats of Honor will be shared with one million visitors each year and will live on at the Museum for generations to come.
New Seats of Honor are dedicated on Memorial Day and Veterans Day each year, and friends and family are invited to gather in celebration of their loved one’s military service. To learn more about the Seats of Honor program, and how you can leave a lasting legacy at the Museum, please visit our website or call 646-381-5271.

Learn more