{"id":151385,"date":"2026-10-19T21:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T01:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=151385"},"modified":"2026-10-19T21:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T01:32:08","slug":"national-museum-of-industrial-history-to-unveil-new-addition-to-steelworkers-veterans-memorial-on-veterans-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=151385","title":{"rendered":"National Museum of Industrial History to Unveil New Addition to Steelworkers Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, PA \u2013 <\/strong>The National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH), in partnership with the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial Committee, will honor the nation\u2019s veterans on Veterans Day, November 11, 2026, with an annual commemoration ceremony and the unveiling of a new addition to the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on the Museum\u2019s plaza at the National Museum of Industrial History, 602 E. Second Street, Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

The new addition to the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial was fabricated and installed by Earl Wenz, Inc. and made possible through a Local Share Account (LSA) grant through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with assistance from the City of Bethlehem. The addition represents the continuing effort to preserve and expand the memorial as a lasting tribute to the men and women who served their country and worked in America\u2019s steel industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of the Bethlehem Steelworkers Veterans Memorial Committee in updating the monument is to ensure that it recognizes not only those who answered the call to serve in past conflicts, but also the men and women who have served in more recent wars and conflicts, as well as those who continue to serve our nation today,\u201d said Don Trexler, former President of the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial Committee.<\/p>\n

The Steelworkers Veterans Memorial was originally dedicated in May 1989 at the\u00a0Bethlehem Steel plant\u2019s employee entrance in South Bethlehem. Conceived by a veterans committee of Bethlehem Steel employees and brought to fruition under the vision of the late Raymond F. Rosati Jr., a Bethlehem Steel millwright and U.S. Marine Corps and\u00a0Vietnam veteran, the memorial was constructed with the assistance of Bethlehem Steel employees and plant machine shops.<\/p>\n

Over the years, additional plaques were added to the monument, further expanding its role as a tribute to steelworkers who served in the nation\u2019s armed forces. In 2020, the memorial was relocated to its current home at the National Museum of Industrial History and\u00a0rededicated on Veterans Day. (National Museum of Industrial History<\/a>)<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s ceremony will feature remarks from Stephen W. Kaja, Captain (Ret.), United States Navy, Medical Service Corps, <\/strong>who will serve as guest speaker. Captain Stephen Kaja is a career healthcare executive whose experience spans a wide range of the healthcare\u00a0spectrum. Over more than 40 years of leadership, Steve has served in the U.S. Navy health system, as a director of a Chicago-region managed care company, and in senior executive\u00a0and CEO positions with several independent and hospital-system physician groups ranging in size from 30 to 600 practitioners. Captain Kaja served honorably in the United States Navy from August 1975 through November 2005, completing more than 30 years of\u00a0dedicated service to our nation. His full biography can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Veterans Day ceremony will also include remarks and ceremonial elements honoring the service and sacrifice of veterans and their families including a musical performance by the Broughal Middle School Band<\/p>\n

Following the ceremony, veterans and their families will be invited to enjoy free admission to the National Museum of Industrial History 10am-5pm and enjoy a music\u00a0<\/strong>performance by the Antebellum Marine Band. Veterans will also be invited to add their signatures to the <\/strong>Museum\u2019s Stand Together Flag Art installation.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Steelworkers Veterans Memorial stands as a physical connection between\u00a0Bethlehem\u2019s industrial heritage and the generations of men and women who served their country. Its presence at NMIH provides an opportunity to preserve not only the monument itself, but also the stories and sacrifices of those it represents.<\/p>\n

The public is invited to attend the Veterans Day ceremony and join NMIH and the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial Committee in honoring those who have served.<\/p>\n

EVENT DETAILS<\/strong><\/p>\n

What: <\/strong>Veterans Day Ceremony & Steelworkers Veterans Memorial Addition Unveiling<\/p>\n

When: <\/strong>Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 10 a.m. Where: <\/strong>National Museum of Industrial History, 602 E. Second Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015<\/p>\n

Admission: <\/strong>Free for Veterans and their families For more information, visit nmih.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About the National Museum of Industrial History<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Smithsonian Institution-affiliate, the National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) is dedicated to preserving America\u2019s rich industrial heritage. Housed in an 18,000-square-foot former Bethlehem Steel facility, the Museum features engaging exhibits, historic\u00a0industrial artifacts, educational programs, and hands-on experiences that connect visitors to the people, innovations, and industries that helped build America. Learn more at\u00a0nmih.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nMegan Pildis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, PA \u2013 The National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH), in partnership with the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial Committee, will honor the nation\u2019s veterans on Veterans Day, November 11, 2026, with an annual commemoration ceremony and the unveiling of a new addition to the Steelworkers Veterans Memorial. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on … Continue reading National Museum of Industrial History to Unveil New Addition to Steelworkers Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\r\n\r\n{excerpt}\r\n\r\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nmih-logo.jpeg?fit=232%2C88&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=151385"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151386,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151385\/revisions\/151386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/134980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=151385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=151385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=151385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}