Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission

Every year, volunteers from across the nation gather to spend a working weekend aboard USS KIDD. We welcome all types of volunteer work, but painters, housekeepers, electricians, welders, plumbers, carpenters, etc., are especially needed. Our volunteers assist with the numerous tasks always needed on a ship normally manned by 330 crewmen in service but now cared for by a single-digit maintenance crew.

Participants bunk aboard ship during the field day and meals are cooked by museum volunteers. Participants come from as far away as New York and Washington, ranging in age from nine to ninety. The work done in just three days' time is of enormous value to a non-profit organization that survives on self-generated funds. It is estimated that $65,000 worth of skilled and unskilled labor was done in 2013 alone. This program not only helps the museum in terms of maintenance, but also provides an opportunity for young people to work side-by-side with veterans to lend a hand in preserving history and encourages them to become more civic-minded and responsible adults.

An educational and informational lecture series available to the general public at no cost, KIDD Keynotes began in 2014. While lecture series at museums are not a new concept, Keynotes has been a little more cutting edge with its topics while still having a good dose of the expected military history. Here's a sample:

• PTSD & the Benefits of Service Dogs
• Sexual Assault Awareness
• Suicide Prevention
• Prosthetics Awareness
• Diversity in the Military
• Domestic Violence
• African-American military heritage
• Asian-American military heritage
• Women's military heritage
• Destroyer Operations off of Normandy
• The F-105 Thunderchief in Vietnam
• General Fox Conner & Armistice Day

Historical interpreters (aka reenactors) are invited to join us for a 3-day weekend once each year to help bring KIDD back to life. We have teamed successfully with the Lone Star WWII Living History Crew out of East Texas to faithfully depict the life and technology found aboard U.S. destroyers in the 1940s. Additionally, we are working to grow representation of other military branches, nationalities, and historical eras to be found inside the museum and on the surrounding campus grounds, such as WWII U.S. Army infantry and Vietnam era U.S. Army and Navy. Interpreters bunk aboard ship for the weekend, interacting with both daytime visitors and with Overnight youth encampments.

This specially crafted, exclusive tour is designed for adults only (age 21+). Participants tour the USS KIDD with the Ship Superintendent / Historian, who focuses less on the traditional history of DD-661 and instead relates the dangers of day-to-day life aboard a destroyer, both wartime and peacetime. The stories are unvarnished, graphic, and not suitable for kids. They also come straight from the veterans. This three-hour event wraps up with drinks on the stern as the sun sets on the Mississippi River.