The National WWII Museum And PBS' National Memorial Day Concert Announce Facebook Live Q&A On May 28 At 7:15 P.M. ET Honoring The "Greatest Generation"
- Featuring Pearl Harbor Veteran Jim Downing and The National WWII Museum's Oral Historian Tom Gibbs -
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National WWII Museum and PBS' NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT (#MemDayPBS) will host a Facebook Live Q&A at https://www.facebook.com/memorialdayconcert on Sunday, May 28 at 7:15 p.m. ET featuring 103 year-old Pearl Harbor veteran Retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Jim Downing with the Museum's Oral Historian Tom Gibbs. Participants can send in comments and questions during the live feed.
The 28th annual edition of the NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol at 8:00 p.m., will pay tribute to the "Greatest Generation" via two segments honoring their service and sacrifice. 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, the daring bombing mission over Tokyo that changed the course of the war in the Pacific. The concert will honor sole surviving member, 101 year-old Lt. Col. Dick Cole, and pay tribute to all the fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War II. The segment, presented by Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise (CRIMINAL MINDS: WITHOUT BORDERS), was filmed during a "Soaring Valor Hero's Journey" to The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The event will also feature a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the United States Air Force and some of the most skilled aviators of World War II…the Tuskegee Airmen. These legendary, African-American pioneers will be honored at the U.S. Capitol by Laurence Fishburne, who was Emmy-nominated for his role in the highly acclaimed THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN.
"Capturing the oral history of WWII veterans, and veterans from subsequent wars, is incredibly important because it allows people to understand what war is truly like," said Tom Gibbs, Oral Historian at The National WWII Museum. "It is also important to understand how these experiences affect veterans for the rest of their lives. Future generations will ask questions about the people who preceded them; this is one of the best ways to create answers for them."
About PBS' National Memorial Day Concert
The NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT airs on PBS Sunday, May 28, 2017, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m., before a concert 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 online on Facebook Live and www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert and available as Video on Demand for a limited time only, May 28 to June 10, 2017.
Connect with us on: http://www.facebook.com/memorialdayconcert; twitter.com/MemorialDayPBS (#MemDayPBS) and instagram.com/memdayPBS.
The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today – so that future generations will know the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America's National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-528-1944 or visit nationalww2museum.org.
About the Gary Sinise Foundation and Soaring Valor
With a hero's welcome, the Gary Sinise Foundation is bringing WWII veterans and their guardians to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Every World War II veteran is a living library. Their first-person accounts of the war are treasures to be preserved. Through Soaring Valor, the Gary Sinise Foundation and the World War II Museum have partnered to record the individual stories of America's Greatest Generation and share them with the world.
SOURCE Capital Concerts
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