From the traditional “Taps” to award-winning music artists, this memorial day concert is not to be missed. Tony award winning actor Joe Mantegna and Gold Star Family Member Monica Magee Duncan joined us via zoom to tell us all about the PBS National Memorial Day Concert.
The all-star cast is hosted by Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise with Trace Adkins, S. Epatha Merkerson, John Slattery, Dulé Hill, Yolanda Adams, Mary McCormack, Jo Dee Messina, The War And Treaty, Chosen Jacobs, Phillip Phillips, Megan Hilty, and Maestro Jack Everly conducting the National Symphony Orchestra.
PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert, America’s national night of remembrance, returns live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. A more than three decades long tradition unlike anything else on television, the 90-minute broadcast takes you back to the real meaning of the holiday through personal stories and tributes interwoven with musical performances.
The lineup includes:
➢ Paying Tribute to Gold Star Families – The concert will remember our fallen heroes and the Gold Star families who carry forever the pain of having lost their loved ones. This year the program will share the story of three generations of one Gold Star family and their poignant journey through grief when the beloved oldest child, Sgt. Anthony O. Magee, was killed in action while on deployment in Iraq. Every member of the family must face a new normal where every day is Memorial Day.
➢ 50th Anniversary Return of Vietnam War POWs – American POWs of the Vietnam War endured unfathomable conditions, abuse, and torture. Fifty years after their release, the concert will share the story of Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris (Ret.) who was imprisoned by the North Vietnamese for 8 years while his wife Louise stayed resilient and strong on the home front. The tribute will honor all our courageous POWs who endured, resisted and remained unified in the face of horrific captivity, to return home with honor, and remember the more than 58,000 American lives lost in the Vietnam War and the 1,581 who still remain missing and unaccounted for.
➢ 70th Anniversary Korean War Armistice – On the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the broadcast will remember the more than thirty-six thousand American lives lost, and pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our veterans who fought to defend freedom and bring peace.
➢ World War II Remembrance – The program will honor and remember veterans of World War II, and feature a tribute to the contributions of the Merchant Marines. Over 16 million Americans served in uniform, more than 400,000 died and hundreds of thousands more were wounded.
The NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT airs on PBS Sunday, May 28, 2023, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. E.T., as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The concert will also be streaming on YouTube and www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert and available as Video on Demand, May 28 to June 11, 2023.
Visit the program website at http://www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert/home/
