On this day we honor all veterans.
World War II – Saving the Reality – 4pm
Over the course of five decades, Kenneth W. Rendell amassed the largest and most comprehensive private collection of original World War II memorabilia in the world. Narrated by Dan Aykroyd, WORLD WAR II: SAVING THE REALITY opens the doors to this private museum located outside Boston. Rendell provides a guided tour of the museum’s 30 exhibits, which chronicle the end of World War I and the rise of Nazism to the start of World War II and the fight in Europe and the Pacific. The period artifacts, both small and large, include propaganda posters, Hitler Youth uniforms, Winston Churchill’s original siren suit, French Resistance clothing and radios, spy gadgets, General MacArthur’s license plate, a Japanese admiral’s uniform, Field Marshall Montgomery’s signature beret and even a Sherman tank. Some of the museum’s more significant documents include General Patton’s copy of Mein Kampf and his personal map of Sicily, the original order to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and a revealing letter from Dwight Eisenhower to his wife. Supplemented with archival photos and footage, the film also features interviews with more than 50 World War II veterans, civilians and Holocaust survivors who offer absorbing first-person accounts of these historical events and speak to the complexities, moral ambiguities and emotional toll of the war.
Veteran’s Day 11.11.11 – 5:30pm
“Veterans Day 11.11.11.” is a nationwide “day in the life” exploration of what it means to be a military veteran in the United States. Award winning Director John C.P. Goheen reached out to more than 40 of the country’s most accomplished video storytellers, many of them national “Photographer of the Year” award winners, asking them to volunteer their time and talent to produce a series of profiles about the service shared by all veterans and the ultimate sacrifices made by many. Every story in the movie contains elements shot on Veterans Day 2011, 11.11.11.
National Salute to Veterans – 7pm
Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise host the inaugural broadcast of the NATIONAL SALUTE TO VETERANS, celebrating all our American heroes who have served throughout our country’s history. The national television event 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 premier celebrations of America’s most important holidays have become annual traditions and the number one and number three top-rated programs on PBS. The NATIONAL SALUTE TO VETERANS will feature new footage shot at the U.S. Capitol with Mantegna and Sinise, as well as the “best of the best” moments from past NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERTS. The all-star line-up includes Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.), Forest Whitaker, Pia Toscano, Javier Colon, Kris Allen, A.J. Cook, Jason Ritter and Yolanda Adams, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra.
