Memorial Day programs salute our veterans

By Tom Comi

Memorial Day serves as a reminder of the sacrifices thousands of men and women gave while serving in the military, and many television programmers will be airing movies, shows, concerts and other specials to recognize those who died protecting our country.

Here is a compilation of programs dedicated to those brave soldiers:

TCM Memorial Day Weekend (May 27-30, check listings): Turner Classic Movies digs deep into is vault to run a 38-movie marathon, including From Here to Eternity, Sergeant York, The Best Years of Our Lives, Up Periscope and All Quiet on the Western Front.

AMC’s Memorial Day War Heroes Weekend (May 27-30, check listings): Tom Brokaw hosts and introduces three days of documentary shorts entitled A Path to Honor and classic films such as Patton, Apocalypse Now: Redux, Pearl Harbor, The Longest Day, The Dirty Dozen, MacArthur and Twelve O’Clock High.

National Memorial Day Concert 2011 (May 29th, 8pm ET, PBS): Broadcast live from the lawn of the Capital, this annual tribute features, among others, Gary Sinese, B.B. King, Forest Whitaker, General Colin Powell, the National Symphony Orchestra and American Idol contestants Kris Allen and Pia Toscano.

2011 National Memorial Day Parade (May 30, 2pm ET, Military Channel): Live from Washington, D.C., this annual parade boasts marching bands, active and retired military units, floats, youth groups and hundreds of veterans from wars ranging from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gettysburg (May 30, 9pm ET, History): Producers Ridley and Tony Scott bring us this original program about this pivotal and historic Civil War battle. Through scores of personal accounts, a picture is painted of a nation that was at war with itself.

For a more extensive search for Memorial Day movie titles, visit our movie database here.

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Credit: Military Channel