National Salute to Veterans

Credit: Courtesy of Capital Concerts

Pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our 22 million American veterans with Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise.

PBS, Capital Concerts, and WXXI are proud to present National Salute to Veterans, a national television event honoring the service and sacrifice of our 22 million veterans. This program premieres on Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV/HD (DT21.1/cable 1011 and 11). Celebrate the American heroes who have served throughout the country’s history, from those who helped found our nation to those who currently protect us at home and abroad.

Hosted by acclaimed actors Joe Mantegna ("Criminal Minds") and Gary Sinise ("CSI: New York"), the one-hour program is produced by Capital Concerts, the nation's leading producer of live holiday specials and the production force behind A Capitol Fourth and the National Memorial Day Concert. These two celebrations of America's most important holidays have become annual traditions, and are consistently among the top ten rated shows on PBS from year-to-year. 

The National Salute to Veterans will feature new footage shot with co-hosts Mantegna and Sinise, as well as a selection of "best of the best" moments from past National Memorial Day Concerts. The all-star line-up includes distinguished American leader General Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker; "American Idol" finalist Pia Toscano; singer-songwriter Javier Colon (winner of "The Voice"); "American Idol" winner Kris Allen; acclaimed actors A.J. Cook and Jason Ritter; and gospel legend Yolanda Adams, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Jack Everly.

For more information and descriptions of the full schedule, please visit: http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2012/national-salute-veterans/.