WASHINGTON/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — On Memorial Day weekend, PBS will unite our nation with an evening that has become an American tradition. The multi award-winning National Memorial Day Concert honors the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for our country.  The 2009 event commemorates 20 years on air as the nation’s memorial service, offering viewers a time to remember, to heal and bring our country together.  The program is co-hosted for the fourth year by Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise (CSI: New York) and Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds), two acclaimed actors who have dedicated themselves to veteran’s causes and supporting our troops in active service. The top-rated show will be broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on PBS Sunday, May 24 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) 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 Radio and Television Network.

The DVD of “On the Road in Iraq with our Troops and Gary Sinise”  will be released Friday, February 6th.   Order from Amazon here for $19.95.

On Saturday, January 10th Fox News will air a special report titled On the Road in Iraq with Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band.  According to the promo,  the special is scheduled for 9 p.m. (ET) and will include a video diary of Gary visiting the troops and a segment of the Lt. Dan Band performing a “tribute to the troops.”

Gary provides an introduction for Into the Fire, a new documentary abouut firefighters premiering this week on The History Channel. The film premieres on Friday, October 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit The History Channel’s web site.

The Biography Channel special on the Barrymores, which Gary hosts, is scheduled to air next Thursday, July 6 at 10:00 am EDT. Check your cable listings for the time and cable channel in your area.

Thanks to Sandra S. for the tip!

The AFI show was interesting — some of it was great — Sidney Poitier, Steven Spielberg, and of course Gary! Not only talking about his own films, but classics like Lawrence of Arabia. Awesome.

Some of it, though — seriously, does anyone really have a burning desire to know why Jessica Alba finds The Sound of Music inspiring? But even with some quibbles about the broadcast and what was chosen and left out, it’s a pretty impressive list overall, and it gave me some ideas for my Netflix queue.

In case you didn’t make it through all three hours, Gary had two films on the list — Apollo 13 at no. 12 and Forrest Gump at no. 37. You can find the complete list at the AFI site.

Gary is one of a number of big names scheduled to appear this week on “AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Cheers: America’s Most Inspiring Movies.”

“In a continuation of AFI’s celebration of the first 100 years of cinema, ERIN BROCKOVICH, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, NORMA RAE, ROCKY, SEABISCUIT, THE SOUND OF MUSIC and hundreds more will vie for the title of Most Inspiring Film of The Century. AFI’s 100 Years . . . 100 Cheers: America’s Most Inspiring Movies will count down America’s 100 most inspiring films, as chosen by experts of the motion picture community…”

As the press release lists Tom Hanks, along with Henry Fonda, as the most represented male actors on the ballot with eight inspiring movies each, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and The Green Mile make the cut. (And I’d be surprised if one of Henry Fonda’s entries wasn’t The Grapes of Wrath, another story with a strong Sinise connection.)

The special airs this Wednesday, June 14, from 8 to 11 pm EDT/PDT on CBS.

The Washington Post had a nice piece about Gary and the Memorial Day special:
A Trouper for the Troups

And a press release about Gary’s upcoming domestic USO tour:
Gary Sinise and Lt. Dan Band on USO Tour

The National Memorial Day Parade will commence Monday, May 29th to pay tribute to American veterans from the American Revolution to Operation Iraqi Freedom and to honor active duty military personnel and all those who have died defending the United States. Notable veterans from WWI through Desert Storm will serve as grand marshals alongside grand marshal Gary Sinise, the Emmy award- winning actor and film director who is often noted for his efforts in raising awareness about the sacrifices made by members of the military and paying homage to their work.

The National Memorial Day Parade is an annual event in Washington, D.C. and this year steps off at noon on Third St., N.W. and will proceed to Constitution Ave., ending at 15th St., N.W. at approximately 2 p.m.

The event is open to the public and all are welcome to attend to show their gratitude, respect and support for the 2.6 million active duty and reservist military personnel stationed around the world and to remember those we have lost.

For more information regarding the parade and parade route Click here

According to TV listings, Gary is scheduled to appear at “An American Celebration at Ford’s Theatre” airing on July 4 on ABC. Check your local listings, etc.