SALUTE TO SERVICE returns to PBS this November to celebrate our nation's veterans, past and present, through inspiring military stories and heartfelt musical performances. Hosted by four-time Grammy-nominated artist Mickey Guyton, SALUTE TO SERVICE 2024: A VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION features performances from musical guests, including country legend Craig Morgan, nine-time Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride, trombone-playing singer-songwriter Aubrey Logan, and active-duty soldiers from the United States Army Field Band and their musical ensembles - the Six-String Soldiers, the Jazz Ambassadors, the Concert Band, and the Soldiers' Chorus - who pay tribute to all six branches of America's Armed Forces.
"Hosting the Veterans Day celebration is an incredible honor. Our veterans have given so much for this country, and being part of a night that celebrates their courage and sacrifice is humbling," said Mickey Guyton. "I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to shine a light on their powerful stories and selfless acts of service."
SALUTE TO SERVICE 2024 features uplifting personal stories from distinguished veterans, including Medal of Honor recipients retired Army Major General Patrick Brady, who flew 2500 combat missions and helped rescue more than 5000 wounded in Vietnam, and Captain Florent "Flo" Groberg, recognized for his heroic acts in Afghanistan. Both men express that the Medal of Honor is not about one individual. ''This medal is not yours," says Captain Groberg. "It represents the United States of America, all of its people, all of its heroes."
Viewers also get to experience the emotional journey of Honor Flight veterans, meet a Space Force Guardian, visit with members of the Coast Guard on fast-response cutter USCGC Forrest Rednour, and learn what it's like to serve miles underwater in a submarine from Navy veterans from World War II to the present. SALUTE TO SERVICE 2024 also follows the remarkable story of Colonel Danielle Ngo, who escaped Saigon as a child and dedicated over 30 years of service to the U.S. Army. She expresses appreciation to the Honor Flight veterans at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, where the Soldiers' Chorus performs a cappella version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The U.S. Army Field Band closes the program with John Mackey's "Sacred Spaces," commissioned by and dedicated to the Field Band.
This Veterans Day, join PBS and the U.S. Army Field Band in thanking the nation's servicemembers, as we come together to honor their service, reflect on their sacrifices, and celebrate the enduring spirit of America.
Country music superstar Mickey Guyton hosts an evening of special honors to our nation's heroes.
Christian McBride and SGT 1st Class Hamilton Price perform "Centerpiece."
The Flying Tigers were heroic U.S. military pilots who fought in China during World War 2. The “Chinese American Tigers” were young men from “Chinatown” neighborhoods, sent by the Army to China as well. Explore their lives and legacies, and why their stories are being celebrated again.
Omaha, Nebraska-born Robert Reuben was 25 years old and witnessing combat for the first time in his life as a Reuters News correspondent during WWII. He parachuted with the U.S. Airborne during the Normandy invasion. He was the first journalist to land in Normandy.
Narrated by actor Kevin Bacon, DAD’S SECRET WAR: FRANCE 1944 focuses on two top-secret World War II organizations – the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and the British SOE (Special Operations Executive), American and British organizations responsible for silent, unseen, highly classified missions of critical importance to defeating the Nazis. The documentary shares the riveting, true story of an American who joined the British SOE and was parachuted into France with a small team just after D-Day to organize the French Resistance into a cohesive army. The mission was to stop Germany's most feared troops from reaching Normandy in the days after the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944.
Join historian John Monsky, host Katie Couric, conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for a Veterans Day tribute to remember in THE EYES OF THE WORLD: FROM D-DAY TO VE DAY. In an unforgettable event from Boston’s Symphony Hall, Monsky takes viewers on a breathtaking and suspenseful journey through the events of D-Day, the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Allied advance into Germany. Broadway stars join Monsky and the Boston Pops on stage to tell the dramatic story of World War II's final months in Europe through a stirring mix of music and personal stories. The show centers around the images, reportage and revealing firsthand accounts of four wartime correspondents: Ernest Hemingway, Robert Capa, Vogue model-turned-photojournalist Lee Miller and a young soldier named Jerry, later revealed as a famous author. Their rare photographs and the stories they crafted bring history to life and illuminate the bravery and sacrifices of the men and women who served in World War II.
A veteran uses hand-carved battlefield crosses to reconnect with families of fallen, fellow Marines.
Riddled with survivor's guilt, Marine veteran Anthony Marquez makes it his mission to reconnect with the Gold Star families of the fallen. By carving and hand-delivering a battlefield cross for each, he finds the path to heal himself.
Narrated by actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Bloodline), PELELIU: WWII's MOST WELL-PRESERVED BATTLEFIELD explores the impact that World War II had on a small island in the Palau archipelago in Micronesia. The remote island of Peleliu is considered the most well-preserved battlefield in the world – a living testament to one of the Marines' most bitter and eye-opening fights in World War II. Because removing any relic from the island is illegal, the battlefield remains almost as it was when the fight here ended in the fall of 1944. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Marine and Army battle, which was supposed to last three days but instead took 72 days of hard fighting to eliminate the Japanese from 500 caves on the island.
In response to French Resistance activities in the area and the D-Day landing of June 6, 1944, a German SS (Schutzstaffel, or "Protection Squads") division arrived in the small French village of Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10, 1944, and massacred 643 innocent civilians. It was one of the worst atrocities of World War II. Four hundred women and children were taken into the village church and murdered. The men were shot. Only seven people managed to escape. Oradour remains a monument to the brutality of war and how civilians paid the price in WWII when the battle passed through their town, city, or village. Narrated by actor Jeff Daniels, VILLAGE OF DEATH: ORADOUR-SUR-GLANE 1944 captures the lasting impact that this atrocity had on the region and the world at large.
