Stafford County will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Stafford Regional Airport, featuring a mobile history unit and a restored vintage airplane, according to an April 24 announcement. The event is scheduled for Friday, May 22, at 10 a.m. at 95 Aviation Way in Fredericksburg.
The ceremony aims to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country and highlight the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). The Rise Above exhibit includes a mobile theater showing original documentaries about these groups and features interpretive displays as well as a fully restored P-51 Mustang aircraft.
Chris Allen, Director of the Commemorative Air Force Rise Above Squadron’s Traveling Exhibit and P-51C Mustang, will serve as keynote speaker alongside Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Deuntay Diggs. “Memorial Day is when we honor and recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country as well as their families,” said Chairman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors Deuntay Diggs. “We are honored to have the opportunity to share the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II and were given limited recognition at the time.”
The CAF RISE ABOVE Squadron is an educational outreach program that brings this history into communities nationwide through its traveling exhibit. According to the Virginia Department of Education, Stafford County Public Schools District enrolled 31,700 students during the 2023-24 school year across its schools. Brooke Point High School had an enrollment of 2,242 students—the highest among all county schools—while Rocky Run Elementary School welcomed 148 kindergarteners in that period. White students represented nearly two-fifths (38.9%) of total enrollment with Hispanic students making up about one-quarter (24.5%), according to state data. Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center enrolled more than half (54.5%) of all pre-kindergarten students in Stafford County last year.
The Rise Above exhibit will be open daily from May 22 through May 25 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with special group viewings available upon request by email.
Broader community participation is expected due to increasing school enrollments in recent years; county schools saw an increase from 31,160 students previously—a rise attributed by officials to growing local interest. Organizers hope that bringing national stories like those featured in Rise Above can inspire local youth while honoring American trailblazers.
