Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Celebration

[ Lively music plays ] -Welcome to "Salute to Service," a PBS Veterans Day special with the U.S. Army Field Band.

I'm Mickey Guyton, and I am so honored to be hosting this year's show as we thank our military servicemembers for all they've sacrificed for Americans like you and me.

We're joined by so many wonderful musical guests, including my friend country-music superstar and U.S. Army soldier Craig Morgan.

We'll also feature nine-time Grammy Award winner Christian McBride and the fabulous singer-songwriter Aubrey Logan.

They'll be performing alongside active-duty soldiers from the U.S. Army Field Band.

What better way to say thanks to our veterans than with music?

Along the way, we'll meet inspiring servicemembers from all six military branches who truly represent the best of America.

And we'll follow a special group of veterans and a journey with the Honor Flight Network.

These heroes travel thousands of miles from all across the country to Washington, D.C., where they visit the National Mall and the war memorials for the very first time.

Let's head over to Baltimore/Washington International Airport and meet them.

- Someone told me long ago There's a calm before the storm I know It's been comin' for some time When it's over, so they say It'll rain a sunny day I know Shining down like water I want to know Have you ever seen the rain?

I want to know Have you ever seen the rain?

Comin' down a sunny day [ Engine starts ] -I was born in Vietnam in 1971 in a little town called Vung Tau, just south of Saigon.

My father was a captain in the South Vietnamese Army.

In 1975, at the end of the war, Saigon was getting bombed.

We were evacuated.

It was just me, my sister, and my mother.

From there, we came to America.

I always knew that I wanted to give something back to the military, the country that saved me and my family.

And my stepfather, as far back as he can remember, he said I'd be sitting in front of the TV and watching those incredible "Be All You Can Be" commercials, with the paratroopers jumping out.

And he said I was always looking at them and saying, "I want to do that someday."

-Hi, guys!

Oh, my God.

First of all, I just want to say thank y'all for your service.

This is my first time on, like, a U.S. military-grade Coast Guard ship, and I'm overwhelmed.

My biggest question is seasickness.

Like, what do you do about that?

Like... -I haven't figured it out.

I still get seasick.

-Really?!

-But Dramamine helps.

-Tell me about this boat.

-So, this is a FRC, which is a fast response cutter.

It is 154 feet long.

Basically, our mission is search and rescue.

We do law enforcement.

-Someone was telling me that y'all will go out for, like, a month at a time.

Is that correct?

-They'll average a month, sometimes more.

-Wow!

-We recently came back from a two-month patrol.

-What?!

Like, what are some of the coolest things y'all have seen out there?

-We just got back from Panama.

And all the countries in between, it was beautiful.

-What about the U.S. Coast Guard inspired you to want to be a part of it?

-So, I didn't really have a sense of direction.

I ran into somebody who was talking very, very highly about the Coast Guard, and I just thought I wanted to be a part of something a little bit bigger, especially because I needed a little bit more discipline in my life at the time.

-We can all use that in our lives, you know?

-Yeah.

-So... -And now our special guest -- chart-topping country-music superstar, Grand Ole Opry member, and U.S. Army soldier.

Here to perform his hit song "That's What I Love About Sunday" alongside the Six-String Soldiers, please welcome Craig Morgan.

- Raymond's in his Sunday best He's usually up to his chest in oil an' grease There's the Martins walkin' in With that mean little freckle-faced kid Who broke a window last week Sweet Miss Betty likes to sing off key In the pew behind me That's what I love about Sunday Sing along as the choir sways Every verse of "Amazing Grace" Yeah, then we shake the preacher's hand Go home, into your blue jeans Have some chicken and some baked beans Pick a backyard football team Not do much of anything That's what I love about Sunday I stroll to the end of the drive Pick up the Sunday "Times" Grab my coffee cup Looks like Sally and Ron Finally tied the knot Well, it's about time It's 35 cents off a ground round Baby, cut that coupon out That's what I love about Sunday Cat-napping on the porch swing You curled up next to me, yeah The smell of Jasmine wakes us up Take a walk down a back road Tackle box and a cane pole Carve our names in that white oak I steal a kiss as the sun fades That's what I love about Sunday Yeah That's what I love about Sunday Yeah, new believers bein' baptized Mama's hands raised up high Havin' a Hallelujah good time A smile on everybody's face That's what I love about Sunday Oh, yeah That's what I love about Sunday Ye-a-a-a-ah That's what I love about Sunday - Sunday -I used to tell people I did it so I could get free hunting clothes.

[ Laughs ] But the reality was I wanted to leave the little small town.

I wanted to experience something, and I knew -- I'd seen all the commercials -- Be All You Can Be.

That was what caused me to want to join.

I literally seen the signs or the commercials that said, "Be All You Can Be," and I wanted to be all I could be.

In the United States Army, I was humbled numerous occasions.

"You're not gonna be all you can be if you stop!

You go till you can't, and then you're being all you can be."

And that's what you walk away with.

You walk away with a sense of pride in knowing that you did everything you can.

And that transfers into everything else that you do in your life -- and especially in the event that you end up in a combat environment.

You know you have the skill set to stay alive and to keep your friends alive.

So every time I went overseas in a hostile environment, I felt like I experienced something that gave me such a great sense of gratitude for how fortunate we are here at home, that I never forgot that.

My music career and my Army career were both intertwined.

So, a year ago, I decided to re-enlist in the Army.

When I was approached about coming back in, I said, "Yes, I would love to do it in the band."

I've been in combat M.O.S.

my whole career.

I'm not sure I'm the right guy to be in the band.

I had a skill set in the music industry that would be beneficial to the Army music program.

It wasn't because I was Craig Morgan the country singer, but Craig Morgan the country singer was an avenue that allowed me to utilize my military skill sets and still serve.

I tell people all the time -- military folks, they have an additional gene that requires of them to be of service to people.

The more you're in, the more you do, the more you realize how much you have to offer.

I think the Army does that and allows you to find that in yourself better than any other occupation.

- Na na na na na na - Na na na-na na na na na Where did all the people go?

They got scared when the lights went low I'll get you through it nice and slow While the world's spinning out of control Afraid of what they might lose - Might get scraped or they might get bruised - Yeah, you can try, but what's the use?

That's why it's called the moment of truth, yeah I'll get it if you need it I'll search if you don't see it If you're thirsty, I'll be rain If you get hurt, I'll take your pain I know you don't believe it But I said it and I still mean it When you heard what I told you When you get worried, I'll be your soldier Funny when times get hard At the last moment when you're supposed to charge - Whoo - Always on the longest yard Oh, they feel their feet gettin' cold Hiding here and hiding there Find them underneath the stairs Yeah, people hiding everywhere Trying to be as still as a stone, so I'll get it if you need it I'll search if you don't see it If you're thirsty, I'll be rain If you get hurt, I'll take your pain I know you don't believe it But I said it and I still mean it When you heard what I told you When you get worried, I'll be your soldier - My aim is so true I wanna show you I'll try forever I'm never gonna say, "Surrender" - I'll get it if you need it I'll search if you don't see it If you're thirsty, I'll be rain If you get hurt, I'll take your pain I know you don't believe it But I said it and I still mean it When you heard what I told you When you get worried, I'll be your soldier - Na na na-na na na - I'll be your soldier Wh-o-o-oa, I'll be your soldier - Na na na-na na na Na na na-na na na - Na na na-na na-na Na na na-na na na Na na na-na na na na na na -The Army changed me.

It started giving me confidence that I probably didn't have before.

It started training me for leadership skills.

Most of my career, I ended up being a combat engineer.

There were hardly any women at the time, especially as officers.

If you were a woman engineer, you couldn't be in combat roles at the time.

My very first job as lieutenant was in a construction unit, which was great.

It was a -- It was a great experience.

Went to Bosnia with that unit, and after I came back from Bosnia, I got married.

So, we moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

I was in the 20th Engineer Brigade, and most females actually were sent to the topographic unit.

And I said, "Please.

I would really love to be in one of the combat units."

My boss was the brigade logistics officer.

He said, "Let's do an experiment.

Let's put a couple of female officers down in the combat unit."

I did everything that all the males did.

I ran with them.

They made me dry-heave every single day because they were running 12-minute two-miles, and that training was amazing.

And ruck marching with them.

There was a standard, and every female, male, whatever had to run the standard.

And it was great character building for me.

And then I got pregnant.

And I said, "Oh, no.

This can't be happening.

I am in a combat unit and I'm pregnant."

I kept it a secret for about four months until I started falling back on my run.

My battalion XO said --- executive officer -- He said, "What is wrong with you?

You don't ever fall out on runs."

And I said, "Well, I -- I guess I have to tell you, but I'm pregnant."

And he said, "Why didn't you want to tell anybody?"

I said, "Because of the perception.

I'm supposed to be tough.

I'm one of the first females here, and I don't want people to look at females any differently."

Little by little, he told people.

And they would come to my office and they said, "Don't worry.

You have proven yourself.

You're a part of this team.

And we're with you."

That moment changed my life.

It really did.

It made me say, "Okay.

This is what I want to do.

This is who I want to be.

And I want to be surrounded by people who see me not as a female, but people who see me as a teammate, one of their own."

So I didn't go into Iraq scared at all.

I went to Iraq really full of energy and excited that I am doing what I was trained to do, excited that I had trained my soldiers the best that I could train.

We did our mission, and I'm proud of that.

I feel like I gave back then.

I said, "This is, like, the ultimate way of giving back.

Somebody during the Vietnam War gave up their life for me.

If somehow I die here, then I die.

But I'm dying doing what I want to do, and that's give back to America."

[ Jazz music playing ] -Jazz is truly an American art form, and nobody does it better than our next guests.

Soldiers from the Army Field Band's Jazz Ambassadors spent time chatting about the spirit of service and jamming out with the legendary nine-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride.

-I wanted to be respectful, so I wore these shoes.

You know?

-Yeah.

-I took my earrings off.

[ Laughter ] -You still got a little shaving to do, though.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Gentlemen, it is an honor to be with you and record with you this afternoon.

And you sound amazing.

Man, there's all kinds of tradition and history in military bands.

-And, so, we understand that you have some military history in your family.

-I feel bad because the military chain ended with me.

You know, I was -- I became the slacker.

[ Laughs ] The musician in the family.

But, no, I believe you can -- you can serve your country in any kind of way you so choose.

You know what I mean?

Hearing what all of you talk about -- You know, you go on the road, you travel, you play gigs all over the world.

Who makes greater world ambassadors than musicians?

That's when the walls come down.

That's when the understanding happens, when you start making music together.

Like -- Like literally.

When you can get together from people from all over the world and start making some music?

The ears are open.

The hearts are open.

People now can start to really understand you.

-The Medal of Honor is our nation's highest and most prestigious military award, recognizing valor in combat.

On National Medal of Honor Day, March 25, 2025, the brand-new National Medal of Honor Museum will open in my hometown, Arlington, Texas.

-My name is Patrick Brady.

I'm a retired Army major general.

I didn't want to make a career out of it.

There was no way I was gonna stay in.

The end of '63, when I got out of flight school, and Vietnam was just starting to build, and they needed pilots.

We had a helicopter ambulance unit in Vietnam at the time, and so I volunteered.

It was combat, the place where you could save lives.

And so that's what we were trained to do.

Our job, day in and day out, was to get the wounded from the battlefield.

The helicopter had never been used that way before.

We had to fly a lot at night, in weather, and we had to land in the jungle, something other pilots didn't do.

So all those things developed your skills over time and repetition.

We became very hard to kill.

From the time a guy was shot in the jungle until we had him in a hospital -- 33 minutes.

Simply because of that helicopter.

I flew, in two years, about 2,500 combat missions, and helped rescue about 5,000 wounded.

And then all of a sudden, I get a call from General Westmoreland's office, and the guy says, "Congratulations.

You're gonna receive the Medal of Honor."

The guys that I flew with in Vietnam were every bit as deserving as I was.

They did everything I did.

And there they are.

And there I am with Nixon.

And it was just embarrassing.

Then you realize you don't wear it for yourself.

You wear it for them.

Veterans believe life has no meaning unless it's lived for the benefit of future generations.

This museum will allow us to continue to serve after we're dead, and so that young people, when they walk into this museum, they'll see so-called "heroes" -- gonna be wearing dog tags, not capes -- but they'll understand what these people did as a result of their experience in combat, how much they contributed to America.

It's when you reach a breaking point but you don't break.

And it's not just physical.

It's mental and it's moral.

This thing we call courage is in all of us, and it will take us wherever we want to go.

-We can't wait for you to meet our next guest -- the fabulous Austin-based singer-songwriter and trombonist Aubrey Logan.

She marks Veterans Day alongside the Jazz Ambassadors of the U.S. Army Field Band.

- Amazing grace How sweet the sound That saved a wretch Like me I once was lost But now am found Was blind But now I see 'Twas grace that taught My heart to fear And grace My fears relieved How precious Did that grace appear?

The hour I first believed Through many, many dangers Toils and snares I have already Already come 'Twas grace that brought me Safe thus far And grace Will lead me home When we've been there Ten thousand years Bright shining As the sun We've no less days To sing God's praise Than when we first When we first begun Was blind But now I see -Thank you for your service.

It is such an honor to meet y'all!

-Can we get a picture with you later on, Mickey?

-Absolutely.

-Oh.

Thank you.

-I just want to say thank you for your service.

Happy Veterans Day.

You guys mean the world to me.

You've risked your lives so a girl like me can live freely.

So thank you, thank you, thank you so much.

-I was on the U.S. submarine Spot during World War II, and our job was just to sink enemy ships.

-Wow.

-And that's what we did.

17 of them.

-How old were you when you joined?

-I was 17, but they thought I was 18.

-So how old are you now?

-I am now 98.

-Wow.

-I am a 12-year veteran during the Vietnam War era.

I've served aboard three nuclear submarines.

I was drafted.

Before the Army could get me, I enlisted in the Navy.

-I joined the Navy in the middle of the 1980s.

At the time, you know, this was the period where the Cold War was going on, and I felt an intense need to -- to serve my country.

Then the recruiter said, "The hardest thing you could do is operate a nuclear reactor."

And I said, "Okay.

Let's try that."

And then I said, "What else?"

And he goes, "What do you mean, what else?"

And he goes, "Well, you could do it on a submarine."

And I'm like, "Sure.

Sign me up."

-We are all from the United States Submarine Veterans Organization.

-Okay.

What is it like living on a submarine?

I'm claustrophobic, personally.

Like, how do you -- -You've been on an airplane before, right?

-I have, and that's a lot for me, too.

But underwater?

-Well, imagine not being able to open the blinds.

-Oh, my God.

So it's just dark.

-Uh, there's no windows on a submarine, just to dispel that.

-Okay.

Wow.

-There are no windows.

So when my submarine -- We went down around South America, and so we traveled about 30 miles away from the South Pole.

The water temperature was so cold that you could feel it inside.

Everyone had to wear jackets.

You had to wear all your articles of clothing.

-Wow.

-And we circumnavigated the bottom of South America, came up and ended up in the Gulf of Mexico, where the water temperature was extremely warm, and so everyone then had T-shirts and had all stripped it down because it was just so hot.

-So there's no, like, air-conditioning in there?

-There's air-conditioning.

Sure.

-But it's still... What's the longest trip that you've had underwater?

-Well, in our case, you couldn't stay very long because, uh, you had to operate on batteries and you didn't make any air.

The longest I stayed underwater was, uh, 49 hours.

And at that point, the air is not really air.

It's foot sweat... -Oh, my God.

-...and all kinds of other noxious gases.

-The longest time I spent without sunshine was six weeks.

And after a while, like, the walls get smaller and smaller.

-After hearing these stories, like, what did you do to take care of your mental health?

I'm sure you guys have families and people that you care about.

Like, how did you get through some of those hardest moments?

-I was born and raised here.

I'm a California boy.

And all of a sudden I'm in, you know, a closed room with 120 guys from all around the whole country.

So I learned what someone from Dallas is like, what someone from North Carolina is like.

And you realize that there's more that is similar to you than is different.

So, really, it's the camaraderie... -Yeah.

-...and being able to come together and perform a mission.

-There's no Internet.

There's no phones.

-Yeah.

-There's -- You had to talk.

You had to spend time talking to the people you were on the submarine with.

-All of you guys are so phenomenal.

Again, thank you for your service and what y'all have done.

Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you.

-Honor Flight Long Island is one of over 130 hubs that exist around the United States -- all started back in 2005 after the World War II memorial was first dedicated.

They started this organization to honor our World War II veterans, realizing that many of them, due to age and other restrictions, might not get down here.

-And their mission has expanded to include veterans of the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and, most recently, the Global War on Terrorism.

Over 300,000 American heroes have flown to Washington, D.C., to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

– We left at 6: 00 this morning and we'll return at 11:00 tonight.

Each veteran has a guardian that accompanies him or her on our trips.

-I got involved with Honor Flight in 2019 when I came on this flight with my father, who's a World War II veteran, and I've come on several flights accompanying veterans that don't have family members to attend with them.

-Right.

-So they still get the experience.

And I get to meet them, and we have a great day together.

-Some veterans don't talk much about their war experiences, but this trip can help them open up.

Many find themselves sharing those stories with family for the first time.

-It's a wonderful thing to live to be 90 and still be able to remember different things.

-I'm very fortunate that you asked me to come with you.

-How the hell did we ever carry those rifles?

They look bigger than the one I had.

I know that.

I want a thousand copies.

-8x10's.

-My grandfather's always been a very big role model of mine.

It means a lot knowing that he was willing to do that for a bunch of individuals he's never met and will never meet.

And it's kind of persuaded me to go out and do more for others.

And now we're here.

He asked me to come.

He heard about the Honor Flight and called me up one day and asked if I would chaperone him down to D.C.

I jumped at the opportunity because it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be with my grandfather and see a bunch of memorials he's never seen before.

So, yeah, it means a lot.

-Military vets are special folks, and there's a sense of camaraderie and togetherness that you can especially feel with Honor Flight.

Going on this journey together gives those who served a powerful way to connect and to remember.

-I joined the Army specifically because of the impact that terrorism had on my family.

My uncle was killed in 1996 by a terrorist organization called the GIA.

That shook me as a young man, as a kid, but it was really cemented after 9/11.

So, for me, when I had the opportunity to join, you know, raise my right hand, take an oath, and commit myself to serving this nation, it's not something that I took for granted.

What I fell in love with over the course of my military career is really the mind-set of the military and what it stands for, and that is you can be from whatever culture, whatever color of skin.

It doesn't matter.

What matters is the love of brotherhood and sisterhood.

It taught me a lot about the idea of doing a lot for others versus yourself.

It really taught me the notion and understanding of what teamwork is.

We are taught how to work as a unit.

We are taught how to trust each other.

But I always had that one question for my own self, which was... when the rounds start flying and the bombs start bursting, who am I?

You know, after I received a medal in 2015 from President Obama, that day, first of all, was one of the toughest days of my life, specifically because four people died on August 8, 2012, for the actions that led to the medal.

That's Command Sergeant Major Griffin, Major Gray, Major Kennedy, and Ragaei Abdel Fattah.

So being singled out on a -- on a pedestal, really, on a podium, and next to the President with all these -- all the leadership and my friends, family, my teammates, the Gold Star families, I felt like a fraud.

I felt that I didn't belong.

Later on, having a conversation with President Obama and then, really, the Gold Star Families and Medal of Honor recipients, you start to realize this is not about you.

This medal is not yours.

This is way bigger than any individual.

This represents the United States of America, all of its people, all of its heroes.

And so that's what I sort of came down to grasp to be able to really live with this responsibility as well as this honor.

Remember when I talked about love of brotherhood and sisterhood?

That's what this represents.

- There are places I remember All my life Though some have changed Some forever Not for better Some have gone And some remain All these places had their moments With lovers and friends I still recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I've loved them all -There are many ways to be a trailblazer, and in the military, we look to America's newest branch of the armed forces, the United States Space Force.

Let's meet one of the first Space Force Guardians who shares about his service and what it means to look always above.

-I look at satellites every day.

I make sure that they have the proper configuration.

I make sure that all the various users who are on the satellite are doing what they should.

For me, the Space Force means superiority in space.

Space is a very important part of any communication system.

As a Guardian, it's our primary responsibility to make sure that those soldiers, Marines, so on and so forth can do their job as best as possible.

It absolutely translates to saving lives on ground.

I wanted to do something that I felt my kids would be proud of.

One day, I want to be able to walk to my kids and say, "I did that.

I did it for you."

Space is the only frontier we haven't fully explored.

The air -- we've pretty much owned that.

The ground -- we've seen the majority of it.

Space -- we've only seen a tiny fraction of.

And that's what's for my kids.

- Until I fell in love My life was very easy The moon just made it moonlight The breeze just made it breezy And then I fell in love And things that once were clear Now I scarcely see Or hear Somewhere there's music, how faint the tune Somewhere there's heaven, how high the moon There is no moon above when love is far away, too Till it comes true That you love me as I love you Somewhere there's music, how near, how far Somewhere there's heaven, it's where you are The darkest night would shine If you would come to me soon Until you will, how still my heart, how high the moon [ Scatting ] [ Scatting ] [ Scatting ] [ Scatting ] Until you will, how still my heart How high the m-o-o-o-o-oon [ Finale plays ] -43 and 1/2 years.

-U.S. Army.

1964.

-I was a tank mechanic, and I served during Desert Storm.

-It really bonds you.

You know what I mean?

-The friends I made.

Yeah.

-And I'm glad I went... And then I came home and got married as soon as I got home.

-I'd love to give you a Vietnam veteran lapel pin... -[ Gasps ] No!

Really?!

-...and tell you thank you for your service.

-Oh, my God!

-May I -- What did you do in the war?

-Personnel.

-Honor Flight veterans experience profound connection and reflection on their journey.

The memorials serve as a tangible reminder of their sacrifice and their impact of their service on our nation.

Many veterans feel a sense of pride and nostalgia in sharing these stories and memories with fellow servicemen and women.

They may also share a deep sense of loss and solemn reverence for those who gave their lives in service to their country.

-H. Hamilton Price.

[ Laughter ] Me and this guy go back a little bit.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-It's wonderful to see you... -It's great to see you, too, Christian.

-...and to play with you again, man.

-It's amazing.

-You sound amazing.

Now, of course, the last time we saw each other, you were -- you were a civilian.

-Yes.

Yeah.

I had hair down to about here.

I had red glasses.

-Right.

Right.

-Yeah.

-What made you join?

-I was playing in Los Angeles.

I saw the opening, and I thought, you know, if I could do for the Army to support my family and... My grandfather and my father were also in the Army.

-And how long have you been in the band now?

-It'll be 10 years in October.

-Been 10 years?

-Yeah, yeah.

So, Christian, you picked a centerpiece for us to play together.

That was an amazing experience.

-It was wonderful to play that with you.

-It was beautiful.

-You were all in the pocket.

Deep pockets!

-Ever since I started meeting Vietnam veterans, I've gone up to them and I've asked, first, the spouse, "Would you mind if I gave your husband a hug?"

Then the Vietnam veteran would look at me like, "Why would you want to give me a hug?"

And then I tell him my story.

I said, "It's because of you that I'm here in this country.

It's because of you that I'm serving in the Army.

And it's because of you that my family has the freedom that it has today."

Because of you.

Thank you so much, Mike.

May I give you a hug?

-Sure.

-Thank you so much, Mike.

You mean so much to me.

It's so sad to know that they came back from a war that a lot of them had no choice but to go.

They had to because of their country, but a lot of them did want to volunteer and serve.

A lot of them volunteered and served when they were underage and they pretended they were 18 years old and they joined because they wanted to fight for America.

So that American spirit, that heart that they had at the time, I just want to give them a little bit of that back.

I think I give them a little bit of purpose to say, "You did something, whether you knew or not.

You did something for this little girl who grew up that looked up to you.

Look at me now.

I'm a colonel in the Army.

You did that.

If you didn't save me and my family from Vietnam, I never would be here."

And I try to do everything I can to get that message out.

Please honor your Vietnam veterans.

Please honor all your veterans because they were willing to fight for the liberty of this country.

- Like a bridge Over troubled water I will lay me down - I will Lay me I will Lay me Down And I will Lay me Down -Through the veterans we've met and the stories they've shared, we hope to honor each and every person who has given something back to their country.

Thank you to all the servicemembers, as well as their families, because we know military service is a family affair.

And, finally, thank you for joining us for another year of "Salute to Service" on PBS with the United States Army Field Band.

Happy Veterans Day!