Arlington Cemetery Unfolded

Arlington Cemetery Unfolded

A Memorial Day Tribute to the Home of the Brave

NEW YORK, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Along the rolling hills of Virginia lay the dead from all of America's wars. Lined with endless rows of white marble stones each with its own story to tell, Arlington National Cemetery is the most famous and well-respected cemetery for war heroes. Smithsonian Channel(TM) will commemorate and explore where America buries its bravest in Arlington: Call to Honor, premiering this Memorial Day, May 25 at 8pm.

Over the course of two centuries, from the Revolutionary War to the war in Iraq, more than 300,000 Americans, 60 foreign nationals and even a few enemy POWs have been buried at Arlington. Each section of the cemetery reflects a time in history and each piece of marble recounts a legend.

The American flag flies at half-staff more often than not, as more than 27 burials take place daily. Each funeral is meticulously planned by the cemetery staff, from rifle salutes to flag-draped coffins. Soldiers and politicians, Supreme Court Justices and famous boxers, inventors and scientists, even President John F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Medgar Evers, are among those who lie at rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington: Call to Honor will take viewers for a walk along Arlington's stones, on a journey through our nation's history. Part of Smithsonian Channel's annual "America's War Stories" programming in celebration of Memorial Day, the program will premiere on Smithsonian Channel on May 25, 2009.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN NETWORKS

Smithsonian Networks (SNI/SI Networks L.L.C.) is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution. It was formed to create new channels to showcase scientific, cultural and historical programming based largely upon the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features original documentaries, short-subject explorations and innovative and groundbreaking programs highlighting America's historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Visit Smithsonian Networks on the internet at www.smithsonianchannel.com

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Source: Smithsonian Networks

CONTACT: Stuart Zakim, +1-212-708-1590, stuart.zakim@showtime.net

Web Site: http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment