"As a card carrying, flag waving, red blooded American and Viet Nam era Veteran, I have never missed one of your Memorial Day or 4th of July concerts. This year's Memorial Day concert was the best one yet. It always amazes my family how you seem to top yourself each year but some how you do . Thank you for always making Memorial Day so special in our house. God bless you and the United States of America."

Ron Coats, SSG, US Army Veteran
CA

History of the Concert

On the National Memorial Day Concert's 20th Anniversary
Executive Producer Jerry Colbert discusses the show's purpose.

Over Two Decades of Honoring Our Fallen, Our Veterans, Our Service Members and Their Families

In 2011 we commemorate our 22nd annual broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert – more than two decades of gathering together – in what has become a memorial service for our entire nation.

We've been privileged to welcome so many talented artists who have dedicated themselves to creating a moving remembrance and tribute to all our service members. Together with our audience, we have become a real community of support for our troops, reaching out to soldiers and veterans and their families to let them know we care.

Some notable moments include:

A bugler pays tribute at a memorial ceremony Each year viewers send thousands of letters and e-mails in honor of loved ones and friends who have been wounded or died in one of America’s conflicts. These are delivered to the appropriate memorial.

Joe Mantegna greets soldier wounded in battle Honorees on the show share their stories of great pain and sacrifice in the hope their experiences will resonate with and pay tribute to others who have sacrificed for our country.

Co-hosts Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise and previous hosts Ossie Davis and E.G. Marshall all had personal connections to veterans’ causes and to supporting troops in active service and Ossie Davis served in WWII from 1942–1945.

Ossie Davis: 11-time host of the <em>National Memorial Day Concert</em> "For me, hosting the National Memorial Day Concert is a spiritual exercise. The value lies in the reminder of what wars are and what they cost in human terms. We appreciate our heritage a little bit more when we start to consider what it means and what people have paid for it."
Ossie Davis, 2003
11-time host of the National Memorial Day Concert

The Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Joint Chiefs of Staff have been a part of every Concert, offering support and perspective to the challenges the veterans face.

Year after year, distinguished veterans General Colin Powell, USA (Ret.) and Charles Durning have participated in the concert, offering their experiences and perspectives to honor wounded and fallen soldiers and their families.

The family of a war veteran looks on as the performers pay tribute Veterans share their own moving stories with us in an attempt to help the country better understand their motivation and sacrifices and the realities they face.

The community on-site at the US Capitol - including partner organizations, event staff, production staff and crew - dedicate themselves to the cause as well, working to ensure the best possible experience for honorees, performers, audience members and viewers at home. Some of the production staff, veterans of years of network television series and specials, call the Concert "the most meaningful" production they do all year long.

Since 1989, the producers of the multi award-winning event have been privileged to welcome acclaimed stars from the stage, screen and music worlds - from Tom Hanks, Katie Holmes, George Clooney, Jimmy Smits, Richard Dreyfuss, Kathy Bates, Laurence Fishburne and Natalie Cole to Gladys Knight, B.B. King, Martina McBride, Vanessa Williams, Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, Maestro Erich Kunzel and the virtuosic National Symphony Orchestra to mention only a few.

In 2009 we lost our dear friend and colleague, Maestro Erich Kunzel who conducted the National Memorial Day Concert and A Capitol Fourth for the last 20 years. It was both an honor and a privilege to collaborate with Erich each year on these tributes to our nation. His incredible artistry and energy will be greatly missed.

Become a part of the National Memorial Day Concert community by sending in a remembrance, sharing your story of service or honoring and supporting our brave service men and women in uniform.