Featured Stories | National Memorial Day Concert

2025 FEATURED STORIES

A GOLD STAR FAMILY’S STORY

After losing her husband SSG Michael H. Simpson in 2013 to a fatal wound from an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan, Gold Star Wife Krista Simpson Anderson turned her grief into purpose, supporting fellow military and Gold Star Families and creating space for healing. Her strength, rooted in community and service, reminds us that even while navigating tragedy there are gifts along the way.

A Gold Star Family’s Story

COL OTIS EVANS: COURAGE IN THE SKIES OF VIETNAM

During the Vietnam War, three million Americans deployed. Over 58,000 never made it home, and many more who returned were forever changed. Among them was Colonel Otis Evans who served as a DUSTOFF pilot with the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, flying medevac missions under fire with extraordinary bravery.

Watch Col. Otis Evans’ Story

DON GRAVES: A MARINE’S STORY FROM IWO JIMA

On the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, the 2025 National Memorial Day Concert honored the millions of the Greatest Generation who served on the front lines and the home front. Among them was U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Don Graves, a flamethrower who stormed the black sands of Iwo Jima with the 5th Marine Division in one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history.

Watch Don Graves’s Story

For more real-life stories spanning the broad history of our nation’s military conflicts, please visit our Past Stories page.