PAST STORIES

2023 FEATURED STORIES

SGT ANTHONY O. MAGEE FAMILY STORY

Gold Star families forever carry the pain of having lost their loved ones.

U.S. Army Sergeant Anthony Oneal Magee from Hattiesburg, Mississippi served two tours of duty in Iraq. Then one day, the phone rang, his family’s life was changed forever. The Concert shared the story of three generations of one Gold Star family and their poignant journey through grief and healing.

Watch the Magees’ story

COL. CARLYLE “SMITTY” & LOUISE HARRIS STORY

American POWs of the Vietnam War endured unfathomable conditions, abuse, and torture.

Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris (Ret.) was imprisoned by the North Vietnamese for nearly 8 years. Through the use of the Tap Code, Smitty and his other POW cell mates, were able to remind each other that they were military men following their Code of Conduct to live, resist and come home with honor. His wife Louise stayed hopeful on the home front. Resilient and strong, she kept their three children going and navigated the life of a POW family.

The 2023 tribute to Vietnam-era Veterans honored and featured courageous POWs who endured, resisted and remained unified in the face of horrific captivity, remember the more than 58,000 American lives lost in the Vietnam War and those who remain missing and unaccounted for.

Watch the Harris’ story

2022 FEATURED STORIES

A TRIBUTE TO GENERAL COLIN POWELL

The 2022 concert honored the memory and legacy of General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.). For the past quarter of a century, General Powell was an important part of The National Memorial Day Concert, speaking to the nation about the sacred meaning of Memorial Day, reminding us of the debt owed to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our liberty and freedom, and calling on the nation to help and support those who served and their families.

Watch the tribute to General Colin Powell

A GOLD STAR FAMILY’S STORY OF RESILIENCE

Each year, the concert remembers the fallen and their grieving families. In 2022, we shared the story of Maj. General Mark Graham, USA (Ret.) and his wife Carol, who in under eight months suffered the loss of their two sons. 2LT Jeff Graham, killed in Iraq by an IED blast and Senior ROTC Cadet Kevin Graham, who lost his battle with depression. Their sons died fighting different battles, but both dedicated their lives to serving the nation.

Watch the story of the Graham family

VIETNAM: A MEDIC’S JOURNEY

In tribute to the over 58,000 American lives lost in the Vietnam War and the more than 3 million Americans who served in Southeast Asia during the brutal conflict, the 2022 concert shared the story of combat medic Francis Whitebird, a young warrior from a Lakota family with generations of military service.

Whitebird’s great-grandfather was an Indian scout for the 2nd Cavalry, his uncle fought in World War I, his father was a Lakota Code Talker during World War II, and both his sons served in the Iraq War.

During two tours in Vietnam, Whitebird endured combat losses and saved lives, received a Purple heart, and forged bonds of friendship that have lasted a lifetime.

Francis Whitebird is honored for his service to his fellow soldiers and to our country.

Watch the story of SP5 Francis Whitebird

2021 FEATURED STORIES

A TRIBUTE TO VIETNAM NURSES

Diane Carlson grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota, one of six children. Her working mother was a nurse and her north star. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Diane chose a career in nursing just as the country was embarking on the Vietnam War. Young men all over the nation were being drafted and dying, while every night the war was playing out on the six o’clock news in living rooms across America. In her second year of nursing school, Diane heard an Army recruiter on the radio say that nurses were needed. She enlisted immediately and volunteered to go to Vietnam, determined to save lives. “Four sons,” her father said, “and I send my daughter off to war.” Twenty-one years old, she’d nursed in hospitals and ERs, but nothing could prepare her for what she’d encounter in Vietnam.

Watch the story of Diane Carlson Evans

THE 2ND RANGERS

Now, seventy years after the Korean War, the concert will pay tribute to the more than 1.7 million Americans sent to fight in this brutal conflict, and the over 36,000 American lives lost. No group exemplified the courage and heroism of our fighting forces more than the 2nd Ranger Company. Taking on dangerous assignments, serving with distinction and honor, this elite Airborne unit was the Army’s only all Black Ranger Company. On the cusp of our military’s integration, these trailblazing heroes changed attitudes, and opened possibilities for all African American men and women in uniform.

Watch the story of the 2nd Rangers

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REFLECTING ON 20 YEARS SINCE 9/11

The headline read, “Staff Sergeant Joseph Edgar Phaneuf II, 38, of Eastford, Connecticut, died December 15, 2006, in Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his humvee during combat operations in Operation Enduring Freedom.” Left to grieve were his wife Michele, a son in high school and two young daughters, a tight extended family, and the entire town of Eastford, population 2,000.

Watch the story of the Phaneuf family

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2020 FEATURED STORIES

D-DAY: THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY

June 6, 1944, one of the most pivotal days of World War II, Allied forces launched the greatest combination of sea, land and air power in history. It was D-Day on the coast of Normandy, and five thousand died on the beaches, most within the first few hours. Among those in the first wave to land on that infamous beach was SGT Ray Lambert. As a medic in the 1st Infantry Division, SGT Lambert participated in some of the fiercest battles of World War II, from North Africa to Sicily, and he had already been awarded two Silver Stars for bravery and three Purple Hearts.

Watch the story of SGT Ray Lambert

A TRIBUTE TO THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN

Prior to 1947, the Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces, the precursors to the United States Air Force, played a crucial role in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of World War II. Among them, were a group of nearly 1,000 black pilots who came from across the country to train at Alabama’s Tuskegee University between 1941 and 1946. The Tuskegee Airmen, an African American band of aviators would become known as one of the most heroic groups demonstrating an unwavering strength of human spirit against overwhelming personal odds.

The 2017 and 2022 National Memorial Day Concerts celebrated the 70th anniversary of the United States Air Force and commemorated its proud history and heritage, by paying tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen and remembering the service and sacrifice of all American aviators who have served our country, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

CLICK HERE to see a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen on the 2017 National Memorial Day Concert.

Veterans Disabled for Life

Romulo “Romy” Camargo served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and 7th Special Forces Group. In 2008, during his third deployment, leading a humanitarian mission to Afghanistan, he took a direct and life altering hit to the vertebrae and was paralyzed from the neck down.

For 18 months in a polytrauma hospital, with his wife, Gaby, by his side, Romy faced the hardest battle he’d ever fought. Over time, he learned to live in his new body and, together, Romy and Gaby built a new life. He and Gaby now help others with spinal cord injuries through a Tampa rehabilitation center they formed together.

Romy and Gaby’s story was shared on the 2015 and 2020 National Memorial Day Concerts, along with a tribute to wounded warriors who sacrificed in service to our nation and the world.

CLICK HERE to see the Camargo’s story performed on the 2015 National Memorial Day Concert.

2019 FEATURED STORIES

D-DAY: THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Watch the story of SGT Ray Lambert

Vietnam: Valor and Brotherhood

Ernest “Pete” Peterson and Brad Kennedy’s friendship began on the 23-day boat trip to Vietnam while serving together in the 11th U.S. Cavalry.

Many years later, Pete and Brad found themselves again side-by-side, this time at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, where they reunite each Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Watch Pete and Brad’s story

A Gold Star Widow’s Journey

SFC Collin Bowen was weeks away from returning home to his wife, Ursula, and their 3-year-old daughter, Gabriela, when he volunteered for one last mission. On January 1, 2008, Ursula didn’t hear from him. Instead, she received the devastating news that Collin was severely injured and burned in an IED attack. After 15 surgeries and over 2 months in the hospital, Collin died of his injuries on March 14, 2008.

The 2019 National Memorial Day Concert shared Gold Star widow Ursula Palmer’s journey from grief to healing and her resolve to find purpose in helping wounded warriors and other families who’ve lost a loved one in service to our nation.

Watch Ursula Palmer’s story

2018 FEATURED STORIES

Korean War: The Bonds of Service

On June 25, 1950, the army of North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union, launched a full-scale attack against South Korea. American and UN forces were thrust unprepared into the harshest battle conditions in an unforgiving land. Among those American soldiers captured by the Chinese were best friends Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura and Joe Annello. During the attack, Hiroshi heroically fought against the Chinese forces, allowing for his squad to safely withdraw as he and Joe were taken prisoner.

Watch the story of Hershey and Joe

Vietnam: Remembering Khe Sanh

In January 1968, fifty years ago, a truce was called in the middle of the Vietnam War in honor of the Lunar New Year, or Tet. In spite of the agreement, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong troops launched a surprise, full-scale offensive on cities across South Vietnam. One of these targets was the remote Marine base at Khe Sanh in the Quảng Trị Province. 40,000 enemy troops faced only 2,500 Marines.

Among those fighting were the 1st Battalion 9th Marines, also referred to as “The Walking Dead” battalion due to having the highest casualty rate in Marine Corps history. Of the nearly 3,000 Marines who served with the 1/9 in Vietnam, over 25% would be Killed in Action. One young squad leader, Sergeant Bill Rider, survived, but the memories of those he lost in Khe Sanh have haunted him for fifty years.

Watch the story of Sergeant Bill Rider

Women in Service

On June 12, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the historic Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law. In the 70 years since, more than 2 million women have served in our armed forces.

As a child, Leigh Ann Hester’s father took her to see a military parade where she watched service men and women march in uniform. As they moved in sharp formation, Leigh Ann knew she wanted to be one of them one day— she longed to serve her country. In April 2001, at the age of 21, her childhood dream became reality when she joined the National Guard. Hester enlisted as a Military Police Officer, because in 2001, it was one of the few positions where a woman could get out into the field. On March 20, 2005, SFC Hester led a Humvee providing protection for 30 semi-tractor trailers outside of Bagdad. Suddenly, they were ambushed by gunfire, over 50 insurgents were attacking from all sides. Leigh Ann and a fellow squad leader, SSG Timothy Nein, ran straight into the gunfire with no cover to fire back.

Watch the story of SFC Leigh Ann Hester