Monday, May 25, 2026
10:00 AM EST
Live on consitution ave.
Presented By
The Freedom 250
NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
The Freedom 250 National Memorial Day Parade presented by Boeing returns LIVE to Constitution Avenue this Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM, with special opening ceremonies and performances starting at 9:00 AM! Check back soon for the list of participating celebrities and performers.
Attend the parade live, in person, or watch on television around the country and around the world, as the story of American sacrifice is shared from Washington, DC and beyond. Then, stay tuned for our very special Independence Day television companion: Our Sacred Honor: An American Salute. Airing on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW stations nationwide, the National Memorial Day Parade and Our Sacred Honor commemorate the shared values of service and sacrifice that have brought us together throughout our history.
Stay tuned for continued updates on the Freedom 250 National Memorial Day Parade! And follow @AmericanVeteransCenter on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube!
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Attending the Parade
Join the Freedom 250 National Memorial Day Parade LIVE in our nation's capital, kicking off the Memorial Day commemorations at 10:00 AM. The parade will take place along Constitution Avenue from 7th Street to 17th Street, NW, running from the National Archives to just past the White House. Join us for this very special salute to 250 years of American service and sacrifice.
Tune In to Watch
Watch the parade LIVE on the American Veterans Center's YouTube. And tune in to watch the National Memorial Day Parade's television special airing on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations nationwide, and worldwide to our military service personnel on American Forces Network.
Sponsors
Northrop Grumman
Veterans United Home Loans
American Airlines
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation
Gary Sinise Foundation
Hennessy
Moet & Chandon
Wounded Warrior Project
Boeing
Wells Fargo
Catherine Barr Windels
Robert and Francesca Agostinelli
Breakthru Beverage
Capital Bank
Code of Support Foundation
Doolittle Raiders Educational
Fund Raising Strategies, Inc
Niall Gannon
Julian Gingold
Mrs. Carolyn Phillips & Mrs. Frances Horwitz
Innovation Norway
Robert Irvine Foundation
Kongsberg
Microsoft
Mission Resiliency - Laurel Ridge
Monument Wealth Management
Lt. Michael P. Murphy Scholarship
NADIC
United States Naval Academy
Naval History And Heritage Command
Harry J. Pearce
Patrick Porter
Matthew Pavone
Steve Ogier
Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Embassy of Qatar
Andrew Roberts
Old Glory Honor Flight
The ROX Group 6
Robert & Linda Sebo
Victor & Wendy Sellier
S&P Global
Stars And Stripes
TECRO
Teledyne Flir
Thompson Gray
U-Haul
Wounded Paw Project
With Additional Suppport from
With Additional Suppport from
Presented By
Boeing
Veterans United Home Loans
Northrop Grumman
Veterans United Home Loans
American Airlines
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation
Gary Sinise Foundation
Hennessy
Moet & Chandon
Wounded Warrior Project
Boeing
Wells Fargo
Catherine Barr Windels
Robert and Francesca Agostinelli
Breakthru Beverage
Capital Bank
Code of Support Foundation
Doolittle Raiders Educational
Fund Raising Strategies, Inc
Niall Gannon
Julian Gingold
Mrs. Carolyn Phillips & Mrs. Frances Horwitz
Innovation Norway
Robert Irvine Foundation
Kongsberg
Microsoft
Mission Resiliency - Laurel Ridge
Monument Wealth Management
Lt. Michael P. Murphy Scholarship
NADIC
United States Naval Academy
Naval History And Heritage Command
Harry J. Pearce
Patrick Porter
Matthew Pavone
Steve Ogier
Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Embassy of Qatar
Andrew Roberts
Old Glory Honor Flight
The ROX Group 6
Robert & Linda Sebo
Victor & Wendy Sellier
S&P Global
Stars And Stripes
TECRO
Teledyne Flir
Thompson Gray
U-Haul
Wounded Paw Project
With Additional Suppport from
With Additional Suppport from
PROUD PARTNER
Grand Marshals—
The Medal of Honor
Leading the 2025 National Memorial Day Parade, recipients of our nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor. Representing all who have served and sacrificed across our military’s first 250 years.
Honorary Grand Marshals—The Heroes of WWII
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the parade will be joined by surviving veterans, representing the 16 million who served and 400,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Hosted By
Host #2
Special Guests
Special Guest 1
Special Guest 2
Musical Performances
Musician 1
A Final Closing Toast
In honor of the World War II generation on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, as the baton is passed to a new generation. Story narrated by Chris Evans.
Rosie The Riveters
As the boys returned home in the fall of 1945, victory was made possible by millions of American women: The Rosie the Riveters, who built the planes, ships, and tanks that won the war, and opened doors for generations of women to come. In celebration of the women who won the war 80 years ago, we are joined by these icons of history, surviving Rosies of World War II. Story narrated by Kristen Bell.
Heroes of World War II
Eighty years after the end of the war, for the final time, American Valor welcomes several dozen living legends of the war, average age of more than 100 years old. From D-Day to the Pacific, the Tuskegee Airmen to the soldiers who liberated the Nazi concentration camps, we are joined by a platoon’s worth of history’s greatest heroes, one last time. Story narrated by Chris Pine.
The Miracle of Christmas
After the outbreak of the Korean War, 75 years ago, fewer than 30,000 United States Marines made their legendary stand when surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers at the epic Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. When the Marines broke out and withdrew from the port at Hungnam in December, 1950, they brought South thousands of North Korean refugees, including 14,000 aboard a single ship designed to carry fewer than 60, the SS Meredith Victory. When the last ships pulled out on December 24th, some 100,000 North Korean refugees had been saved, earning the mission the title of ‘The Miracle of Christmas.’ Today, more than one million South Koreans living in freedom trace their lineage to the Americans’ humanitarian mission at Hungnam. Among those set to join are the last surviving American veteran of the SS Meredith Victory, and the two known surviving Korean babies born aboard the ship during the evacuation, 75 years ago. Story narrated by Michael Keaton.
The Olympian: Capt. Melvin Pender, Jr.
An officer with the 82nd Airborne Division, Mel Pender’s superiors discovered his world-class speed as halfback for the unit’s football team. Sent stateside, he was given new orders: Train as a sprinter, with sights set on the 1964 Olympic Team. Injured before the finals, Mel finished 6th. At the age of 27, he assumed his Olympic dream was over, and he deployed to the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam, seeing combat with the 9th Infantry Division. In 1968, he was ordered from the battlefield for one last Olympic shot – winning Gold in the 4x100 relay. Captain Pender would later set World Records in the 50, 60, 70 and 100 meter sprints.
The Last Flight Out
Fifty years ago, as Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended, on April 24, 1975 five young stewardesses volunteered for a secret and highly dangerous mission. With all flights into and out of Saigon canceled, Pan Am airlines received permission for a final flight to land an empty 747 and evacuate as many of the airline’s Vietnamese employees and families as possible. Carrying disguises and navigating soldiers armed with machine guns, the five stewardesses evacuated 463 refugees – 100 more than their plane could hold.
The Horse Soldiers & The Manhunt For Osama Bin Laden
In the weeks after September 11th, 2001, U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Team Alpha (ODA) 595 secretly entered Afghanistan on a special mission. One of the first 12-man A-Teams to be inserted into the Taliban-controlled country, the Green Berets took to horseback, linking up with friendly Northern Alliance fighters, and began the overthrow of the Taliban and the manhunt for Osama bin Laden. America’s first response to September 11th, nearly all of the surviving Horse Soldiers join for this special commemoration.
2025 American Valor Heroes
The Miracle of Christmas
After the outbreak of the Korean War, 75 years ago, fewer than 30,000 United States Marines made their legendary stand when surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers at the epic Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. When the Marines broke out and withdrew from the port at Hungnam in December, 1950, they brought South thousands of North Korean refugees, including 14,000 aboard a single ship designed to carry fewer than 60, the SS Meredith Victory. When the last ships pulled out on December 24th, some 100,000 North Korean refugees had been saved, earning the mission the title of ‘The Miracle of Christmas.’ Today, more than one million South Koreans living in freedom trace their lineage to the Americans’ humanitarian mission at Hungnam. Among those set to join are the last surviving American veteran of the SS Meredith Victory, and the two known surviving Korean babies born aboard the ship during the evacuation, 75 years ago. Story narrated by Michael Keaton.
The Olympian:
Capt. Melvin Pender, Jr.
An officer with the 82nd Airborne Division, Mel Pender’s superiors discovered his world-class speed as halfback for the unit’s football team. Sent stateside, he was given new orders: Train as a sprinter, with sights set on the 1964 Olympic Team. Injured before the finals, Mel finished 6th. At the age of 27, he assumed his Olympic dream was over, and he deployed to the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam, seeing combat with the 9th Infantry Division. In 1968, he was ordered from the battlefield for one last Olympic shot – winning Gold in the 4x100 relay. Captain Pender would later set World Records in the 50, 60, 70 and 100 meter sprints.
The Last Flight Out
Fifty years ago, as Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended, on April 24, 1975 five young stewardesses volunteered for a secret and highly dangerous mission. With all flights into and out of Saigon canceled, Pan Am airlines received permission for a final flight to land an empty 747 and evacuate as many of the airline’s Vietnamese employees and families as possible. Carrying disguises and navigating soldiers armed with machine guns, the five stewardesses evacuated 463 refugees – 100 more than their plane could hold.
Rosie The Riveters
As the boys returned home in the fall of 1945, victory was made possible by millions of American women: The Rosie the Riveters, who built the planes, ships, and tanks that won the war, and opened doors for generations of women to come. In celebration of the women who won the war 80 years ago, we are joined by these icons of history, surviving Rosies of World War II. Story narrated by Kristen Bell.
The Horse Soldiers & The Manhunt For Osama Bin Laden
In the weeks after September 11th, 2001, U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Team Alpha (ODA) 595 secretly entered Afghanistan on a special mission. One of the first 12-man A-Teams to be inserted into the Taliban-controlled country, the Green Berets took to horseback, linking up with friendly Northern Alliance fighters, and began the overthrow of the Taliban and the manhunt for Osama bin Laden. America’s first response to September 11th, nearly all of the surviving Horse Soldiers join for this special commemoration.
A Final Closing Toast
In honor of the World War II generation on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, as the baton is passed to a new generation. Story narrated by Chris Evans.
Heroes of World War II
Eighty years after the end of the war, for the final time, American Valor welcomes several dozen living legends of the war, average age of more than 100 years old. From D-Day to the Pacific, the Tuskegee Airmen to the soldiers who liberated the Nazi concentration camps, we are joined by a platoon’s worth of history’s greatest heroes, one last time. Story narrated by Chris Pine.
2025 American Valor Heroes
Presented by
With Additional Suppport from
Northrop Grumman
Veterans United Home Loans
American Airlines
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation
Gary Sinise Foundation
Hennessy
Moet & Chandon
Wounded Warrior Project
Boeing
Wells Fargo
Catherine Barr Windels
Robert Agostinelli Foundation
Breakthru Beverage
Capital Bank
Code of Support Foundation
Doolittle Raiders Educational
Fund Raising Strategies, Inc
Niall Gannon
Julian Gingold
Mrs. Carolyn Phillips & Mrs. Frances Horwitz
Innovation Norway
Robert Irvine Foundation
Kongsberg
Microsoft
Mission Resiliency - Laurel Ridge
Monument Wealth Management
Lt. Michael P. Murphy Scholarship
NADIC
United States Naval Academy
Naval History And Heritage Command
Harry J. Pearce
Patrick Porter
Matthew Pavone
Steve Ogier
Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Embassy of Qatar
Andrew Roberts
Old Glory Honor Flight
The ROX Group 6
Robert & Linda Sebo
Victor & Wendy Sellier
S&P Global
Stars And Stripes
TECRO
Teledyne Flir
Thompson Gray
U-Haul
Wounded Paw Project
2012
American Valor Debuts on Television
Two
Emmy Award Wins for American Valor
One Billion
AVC's Views on YouTube
& Facebook
2500+
Heroes' Stories Professionally Preserved
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The mission of the American Veterans Center and the World War II Veterans Committee is to preserve and promote the legacy and experiences of America's veterans and active duty service personnel from World War II through today. A non-profit educational organization, the AVC and WWIIVC are funded solely through generous contributions from people like you.
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