Bob and Elizabeth Dole have agreed to serve as honorary co-chairs of events surrounding the 75th commemoration of the end of World War II, including a return of the Arsenal of Democracy Flyover in Washington, D.C., and ceremonies at the Battleship Missouri Memorial and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. The Bob Hope Legacy is the presenting sponsor of the events.

Supported by the Bob & Delores Hope Foundation, the Bob Hope Legacy provided a $1 million grant in support of the 75th commemorative activities that will run between May and September 2020, according to an announcement released by multiple aviation organizations on May 8, the 74th anniversary of the end of World War II.

“On behalf of my colleagues, working to double the size of the highly successful gala and flyover we coordinated in 2015, we couldn’t be more grateful and enthusiastic to have an incredible organization like the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation and extraordinary patriots like Bob and Elizabeth Dole to help lead our mission to honor our nation’s Greatest Generation, the sacrifices of our allies, and to remember the Holocaust,” said Arsenal of Democracy Executive Planning Committee member and GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce.

To take place on the anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the May 8, 2020 Arsenal of Democracy Flyover will comprise more than 100 vintage warbirds flying over the National Mall in 24 separate, historically sequenced formations representing World War II’s major battles. It will be part of five days of educational and commemorative activities planned for the nation’s capital, including the dedication of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Memorial, led by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).

In September another five-day schedule is planned, beginning August 29, 2020, and culminating on September 2 of that year with a ceremony held in tribute to the historic signing of the document of surrender on the deck of the Battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945.