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Tune in to Watch American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes
The AVC’s Emmy-winning program shares the stories of America’s greatest heroes from World War II to the present day. Narrated by celebrities and noted Americans, these are the stories that inspire and unite us, reminding us of who we are at our very best.
Meet our country’s greatest heroes on a journey through our military’s history in American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes.
American Valor 2024 Heroes to Include:
THE HEROES OF WORLD WAR II
A very special tribute to the Heroes of World War II, marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and featuring nearly three dozen surviving legends of the war, all at or above 100 years of age.
THE LIBERATORS
Featuring American soldiers who liberated the Nazi camps of the Holocaust – with honored guests, survivors history’s greatest crime – nearly 80 years ago.
THE LAST BUFFALO SOLDIERS
Created in 1869, the 24th Infantry Regiment – ‘The Buffalo Soldiers’ – became the most famed African American soldiers in the U.S. Army. Their final mission, prior to the integration of the Army, was front-line combat in the Korean War. These are their last survivors.
WALLY FUNK
‘The Oldest Woman in Space’ – A pilot in her youth, Wally Funk was selected as one of the ‘Mercury 13’ – the first women to undergo testing to become astronauts in 1961. On July 20, 2021 – 52 years to the date from Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s first steps on the moon – Wally Funk would finally launch into space, setting a Guinness World Record as the oldest person to travel to the final frontier.
DAN ‘RUDY’ RUETTIGER
In 1972, U.S. Navy veteran of Vietnam, Rudy Ruettiger, used the GI Bill to attend Holy Cross College in Indiana. Two years later, the 5’6” 165-pound vet transferred to Notre Dame to pursue a dream: to play football for the Fighting Irish, in one of the most beloved sports stories of all-time.
AMERICA’S WOMEN COMMANDOS
The United States Military’s Special Operations Forces – the most elite in the world – and the women forging a new path through its ranks, from newly graduated Green Berets to the Air Force operator aptly named ‘The Angel of Death’ by the Taliban.
LT MICHAEL MURPHY & THE LEGACY OF THE U.S. NAVY SEALS
A special tribute to LT Michael Murphy – Navy SEAL and the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in Afghanistan (posthumously awarded). Joining will be a group of the most notable Navy SEALs of the last 20 years, paying tribute to the most honored and respected SEAL of his generation.