The Concert

2008 Features

Each year, the National Memorial Day Concert presents a unique program honoring the valor and patriotism of Americans who have served our country in times of conflict and pays tribute to their sacrifices and those of their families and loved ones. In the special features on this year’s program we will:

• Make a pilgrimage to our nation’s sacred war memorials as a way of saying to our veterans, “We will always remember you,” and to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
• Recognize the immense contributions of World War II veterans and honor Charles Durning, distinguished soldier and long-time National Memorial Day Concert participant, as we celebrate the Greatest Generation.
• Pay homage to the unique and lifelong bonds of war formed by buddies on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq and honor the sacrifices and gifts of their loved ones.

We hope you will join us on Sunday, May 25 for the National Memorial Day Concert, as we remember, heal and bring our nation together. For features from previous years’ National Memorial Day Concert, visit the Stories from America’s Conflicts section of our site.

A veteran of World War II attends the concert in 2007.

REFLECTIONS

On this Memorial Day, I want to remember my father who served in the US Navy during WWII.  Dad was on the destroyer the USS Jeffers and witnessed the signing of the Japanese surrender on the Missouri. He instilled in his four daughters his love of the United States of America. Cheers to my father and all the brave men and women who make it possible for us to live in this wonderful country.

Nancy Perzo
IL