It's time once again, PBS reminds us, "to honor the service of all our men and women in uniform, their families at home, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country."
That has always been the goal of PBS' National Memorial Day Concert -- an event that has become an annual tradition in many homes.
The 90-minute concert, one of PBS' highest-rated programs for 27 years, airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol at 7 p.m. today on AETN and encores at 8:30.
The concert is co-hosted for the 11th year by Tony-winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy-winner Gary Sinise. Both are well-known for giving their time to veterans' causes.
The concert will honor the more than 400,000 men and women buried in Arlington National Cemetery and "chronicle the experiences of the millions of American veterans who still suffer from the seen and unseen wounds of war."
PBS notes, "The concert's mission is to unite the country in remembrance and appreciation of the fallen and to serve those who are grieving."
In addition to the musical performances, there will be documentary footage and dramatic readings. Taking the stage to entertain and inspire will be:
• Trent Harmon, the final American Idol winner. Harmon is a Mississippi native who graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and lives in Malvern.
• Classical singer Renee Fleming
• The Beach Boys
• Singer/actress Katharine McPhee
• Country star Trace Adkins
• Actress S. Epatha Merkerson
• Actor/producer Esai Morales
• Broadway star Alfie Boe
Also appearing during the packed program will be retired U.S. Army general and former secretary of state Colin Powell; the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jack Everly; the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff with the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets; the U.S. Army Chorus; the Soldiers' Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band; the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters; and the U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants.
The Military District of Washington will provide the color guard and color teams.
Executive producer Jerry Colbert tells PBS, "We think of the agony of the mother or father who lost a child, the spouses and children left behind, the people who are wounded in body and soul and we do this memorial service to remember and reach out to them.
"We must remember their sacrifices and continue the mission set forth by Abraham Lincoln to 'care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.'"
A LITTLE HISTORY
Often confused with the Nov. 11 Veterans Day (set aside to celebrate the service of all U.S. military veterans), Memorial Day was initially called Decoration Day and was first generally observed on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery. Its purpose was to commemorate the death of Civil War soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers, wreaths and flags.
During his speech that day, former Union general James Garfield (a future president) said, "We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."
The Arlington event had been inspired by local observances that had taken place in several towns throughout America following the Civil War.
By the late 1800s, many communities observed Memorial Day and several states had declared it a legal holiday. After World War I, it evolved into a day to honor those who died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and established that Memorial Day was to be celebrated on the last Monday of May.
Memorial Day is still celebrated at Arlington each year with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave.
BY THE NUMBERS
Here are America's battle deaths over the years according to the Department of Veterans Affairs:
• American Revolution (1775-1783) 4,435
• War of 1812 (1812-1815) 2,260
• Indian Wars (about 1817-1898) 1,000 (estimated)
• Mexican War (1846-1848) 1,733
• Civil War (1861-1865) 140,414 (Union); 74,524 (Confederate)
• Spanish-American War (1898-1902) 385
• World War I (1917-1918) 53,402
• World War II (1941-1945) 291,557
• Korean War (1950-1953) 33,686
• Vietnam War (1964-1975) 47,410
• Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991) 148
• Afghanistan War (2001-present) 2,381
• Iraq War (2003-2012) 4,500
Television on 05/29/2016