Arlington Cemetery Unfolded

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Mon May 11, 2009 12:53pm EDT

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


SOURCE  Smithsonian Networks

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