Memorial Day

PBS Memorial Day Concert and an Interview with Trace Adkins

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It’s that time of year again. We are coming to the beginning of the summer season and that also marks the onset of the annual PBS Memorial Day concert. This year, with COVID-19, the concert has a slightly different look but the overall messaging is the same: we are honoring our veterans who have given their lives.

To help promote this concert, various military bloggers were given the opportunity to submit questions to country music star, Trace Adkins. He is one of the performers of this year’s concert.

There were 10 of us bloggers who submitted questions. As an Air Force spouse, I had to ask a question about his favorite Air Force experience.

“I’ve read that you’ve really enjoyed your experience on an aircraft carrier. Since we are the Air Force, what is your favorite Air Force memory?”

He responded that it was the time he was on a C-130 and did a corkscrew landing in Mosul. “It was insane,” he remembered.

I know that the E-3 isn’t the coolest airplane around, and it’s not necessarily what is on display overseas but I was hoping that our platform would be mentioned.

But back to reality….

The PBS National Memorial Day concert is a showcase of stars from all over. Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna will host once again. They are the consummate hosts that we rely on.

The 90-minute concert will air on May 24th. It will honor not only our vets, troops and wounded warriors, but our first responders and front line workers as well. The line up includes the Army Chorus, the Air Force Singing Sergeants , and the Navy Band Sea Chanters.

Other performers to look forward to include:

Gen. Colin Powell

Cynthia Erivo

Renee Fleming

Sam Eliott

Mary McCormack

Esai Morales

Laurence Fishburne

CeCe Winans

Kelli O’Hara

Don’t forget that there are always special moments yet to be revealed. Stay tuned and watch wherever you can watch or stream PBS.

https://ordinarysupergoddess.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/military-bloggers-Q-A-with-Trace-Adkins.mp3

PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert a Required Watch

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The 30th annual PBS Memorial Day concert is a love song. It is a ballad for all those service men and women who have perished while serving. It is also a sweet tune for those who remain behind. I urge you to watch this event tonight and celebrate those brave souls.

Thanks to MJ Boice for the image

This year, the all-star line-up is hosted by Joe Mantegna and Mary McCormack. If you remember from last year, Joe hosted with Gary Sinise but this year Mary stepped in for the ailing actor and philanthropist. Mary was a co-presenter with Alison Jannings last year. Her most recent accolades are for portraying the matriarch, Peggy Cleary on the ABC comedy “The Kids are Alright.”

Along with those two big name stars, they are joined by many more:

The 30th annual broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert, which airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET, will tell a tale of Vietnam valor and brotherhood; mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion; and highlight a Gold-Star Widow’s journey.

The concert airs live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, May 26, 2019 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET before an on-site audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The concert will also be live-streamed on PBS, You Tube, Facebook and www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert and available as Video on Demand, May 26 to June 9, 2019.

While I was there, Dennis Haysbert and Joe Mantegna were practicing their story of two friends in Vietnam who served together and reignited their friendship when they met at the Vietnam Memorial years later. They continue that tradition to this day. The two men, Pete Peterson and Brad Kennedy are quoted during their segment as saying,

“We stood together at the watch. That’s what binds us.”

After their rehearsal, Dennis came over to our press tent to talk to us. While waiting to do an TV interview, he shared with us a little trick of the trade. Whenever you are in the sun and you have to go on TV, look up to the skies with your eyes closed. After a few seconds, look straight out and open your eyes. You will no longer squint! And we thought we were only here to interview them about their roles in the concert.

Mary McCormack is once again participating in the concert. It’s great to see her roles increase as her love for military does too. When I asked her about her promotion from Marine child, to a presenter and then a co–host, she said that she is truly honored to be here and that her dad would be so proud.

I don’t want to spoil all of the fun but you should know that the performances are unbelievable. Check it out tonight. And if you fall asleep, you have plenty of time to rewatch it. Don’t skip out. These concerts remind us all of what Memorial Day is really about. It’s also a great kick-off to the summer season.