It’s a time to recognize, dedicate, and pay our respects as a community.
Memorial Week at The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms, presented by Corewell Health, features the culmination of two significant developments made on the historic campus – the Fred M. Alger Center and the art sculpture, Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge.
The festivities begin on May 24 at 6 p.m. with An Evening of Red, White & Blue. Highlights of this night include a cocktail hour, the formal dedication of the center, a portrait unveiled of Fred M. Alger, a gourmet dinner, and a fireworks display. Tickets are $225 for An Evening of Red, White & Blue. On May 25 at 6 p.m., Les Braves II will be dedicated, featuring a special performance by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets and local musician Dave Bennett. Pre-registration is requested for the Les Braves II ceremony. Memorial Week concludes with our annual Memorial Day Service on May 29 at 10 a.m. when we pause and reflect on the selfless souls who gave everything to defend our freedoms. Pre-registration is also requested for the Memorial Day Service.
“Memorial Week has always been a time for our organization to remember the courage of ordinary men and women who have done the extraordinary in times of war and conflict,” Maria Miller, interim president and CEO of The War Memorial, said. “We reflect on the selfless ones that serve our country and pay homage to those whose lives were sacrificed in battle and conflict. To take one day, or even one week, to pay tribute to those that gave so much, is the very least we can do as Americans.”
The Grosse Pointe War Memorial Association is a legacy-filled institution, located on the shores of Lake St. Clair. The Fred M. Alger Center at The War Memorial serves as a home for art, culture, and the humanities. This 25,000 square foot center, opened in 2022, ties in with the historic 1910 Alger House, and Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge, a sculpture that pays tribute to the D-Day operation of World War II. Les Braves II is 50-foot-wide and 25-foot-tall and is the first of its kind in North America, modeled after the original Les Braves in Normandy, France — located on Omaha Beach. Les Braves was created for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and sculpted by French artist Anilore Banon.
Banon is scheduled to speak as part of the May 25th dedication ceremony. Born in Casablanca, Morocco, she moved to France when she was a few months old. She describes her artwork as abstract, “monumental, large-scale sculptures,” carefully choosing where a piece is displayed, and determining what she is trying to express in a sculpture.
“I see the people that fought there and brought freedom and honor back,” Banon said when asked what she sees in Les Braves II. “I see the courage of these young people leaving their country for others.”
After producing the design for the original Les Braves, Banon began searching for the right place for it to be located.
“I wanted to do one here and one on the other side of the Atlantic,” Banon said, speaking from France. “It had to be the proper place.”
Now with Les Braves II, she views it connected to the original, although physically they are located nearly 4,000 miles from one another.
Learn more about Memorial Week here.
