Photos by Harry Crosland

The date is May 24th, and PBS is gearing up for its Annual National Memorial Day Concert. The annual concert, now in its 37th year, continues to honor the men & women who gave the ultimate sacrifice by serving in the US Armed Forces across its six branches. This year is special as we are honoring our heroes for America’s 250th anniversary.

Mary McCormack, who has been a staple of the two annual concerts, is now co-hosting this year, along with Gary Sinise. We asked her what she is looking forward to at tonight’s concert. “Oh, we have a lot of good segments tonight, we really do. We’re actually doing a Revolutionary War segment with Noah Wiley, which I’m really excited about. I was asking Gary if they’d ever done The Revolutionary War, and he said he didn’t remember it, so I think that’s a nice addition. The show is always incredibly well produced and beautifully written, and they get the best talent, and I’m always in tears by the end of it.”

Noah Wyle, who currently stars on “The Pitt,” tells us how he feels about participating in this year’s event. “Humbling and extremely gratifying. I was overjoyed to get this invitation. I’ve never been part of this presentation before. I’ve watched it many times. I was thrilled when Mary McCormack called and asked, and I couldn’t jump at the invitation quick enough.” Wyle will be narrating 1776: American Revolution tonight, and he gave us a peek of what he’ll be reading by saying, “I’m reading an excerpt from a man named Joseph Martin Plumb’s diary. He was a Revolutionary War soldier who served under Washington for all eight years of the revolution, a common soldier, and his diary is one of the only accounts, firsthand accounts, that we have from the rank and file of the Revolutionary Army.”

Oscar-winner Melissa Leo joins the annual concert for the very first time. She told us how it felt to be presenting tonight. “I’m delighted to be here with the Memorial Day concert. It was an invitation I just couldn’t pass up when I read the words that they’re asking me to repeat, that the honor I just felt, this story is so beautifully told. I am a New Yorker. I was in New York State on 911 of course. Like with all of us, it’s burned in my memory. And for the woman for whom I’m speaking, it is a major day, because she was right there at the Pentagon, and you will hear her story in the event, and an honor to be here.”

Singer Andy Grammer returns to our nation’s capital for the NMDC this year, and he told us what Memorial Day means to him. “You know, I’ve been blessed and honored to get to go sing at a lot of military installations all over the world. So, I’ve been to Japan, Germany, Italy, many places all over the US, and it really kind of drove home for me how much they sacrifice, and so it is my honor to be here to show up for them.” Just a few days prior, he and his wife announced on Instagram that they would be having their third girl. Congrats to the happy couple.

And finally, Blessing Offor brings his 2025 single “Life Me Up” to the crowd, and he talks about performing the song for the NMDC. “Anything to honor the families, anything to honor anybody that’s given the ultimate sacrifice. This is an honor. Lift Me Up is about hope and optimism, and if I can bring any of that to this space, then it’s the least I could do.”

This is just a preview of what is to come. See the 37th Annual National Memorial Day Concert tonight, Sunday, May 24th at 8 pm EST/7 pm CST on your local PBS stations or Stream It Live on the PBS YouTube channel

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias to books to dictionaries to magazines. I’m also an avid television viewer, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD, earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked on red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my lifelong journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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