There will be quite a few special moments during this year’s National Memorial Day Concert, which will air live on NPT Sunday, May 24, at 7 p.m. with an encore presentation immediately following at 8:30 p.m.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and is also the 10th year actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise have co-hosted the concert (it’s also the concert’s 26th year on PBS). For Middle Tennesseans there’s another special element to the 2015 concert: Two Clarksville teenagers will be among the honored guests, part of a segment wherein letters from servicemen and servicewomen and/or their families are read by celebrities.
Cameron (17) and Bayleigh (15) Dostie live in Clarksville with their mother, Stephanie Dostie. Cameron will graduate from Ft. Campbell High School in June; Bayleigh is also a student there.
The Dostie teens are Gold Star children whose father, U.S. Army SFC Shawn Dostie, was killed 10 years ago while serving in Iraq. Their story focuses on memories of their father before he went to war, and then how everything changed when just after Christmas “two men in uniform” came to their house. Bayleigh Dostie’s words will be read by actress Stefanie Scott (Insidious: Chapter 3; Jem and the Holograms).
This won’t be the Dostie family’s first time watching the National Memorial Day Concert in person; they’ve previously attended as participants in TAPS – Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. “It can be a very emotional experience, it can be overwhelming,” Mrs. Dostie said of the concert.
The Dosties’ involvement with this year comes through filmmaker Mitty Griffis Mirrer, who interviewed Bayleigh for the 2012 documentary Gold Star Children. Mirrer worked to get Gold Star children featured in the letters segment, going before a special committee to get approval. Once that happened, Bayleigh and others participated in phone interviews in which they were asked to share stories and memories of their parents, according to Mrs. Dostie. Then, six weeks ago, Mrs. Dostie received a call asking if both Bayleigh and Cameron could participate.
In addition to Mantegna and Sinise, this year’s concert will include appearances by Gen. Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); seven-time Grammy Award-winner Gloria Estefan; actor Laurence Fishburne; “The Voice” season five winner Tessanne Chin; classical crossover artist Katherine Jenkins; and renowned tenor Russell Watson in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jack Everly.
As viewers enjoy this year’s concert, Mrs. Dostie wants them to remember that her children are just two of many Gold Star children. “There are so many other children out there,” Dostie said. “These children are still serving every day. These kids continue to carry this burden.”