Sportsman Channel Offers “SALUTE TO SERVICE” with Memorial Day Marathon Tribute to Bravery and Heroism
OutdoorHub 05.20.14
Hosted by Gary Sinise, Salute to Service Programs Combine TV Series, Documentary and Social Media to Celebrate Servicemen and Women Throughout the Day
Network Also Features Innovative On-Air Twitter Dedication Opportunities
To honor and recognize U.S. servicemen and women who protect and serve the citizens of America and world, Sportsman Channel continues its network tent pole initiative – Salute to Service – focusing on key U.S. holidays and special events that celebrate America’s military servicemen and women and their families. Sportsman Channel’s Memorial Day Salute sponsored by Bravo Company airs exclusively on May 26, Noon-9 p.m. ET.
Sportsman Channel’s Salute to Service initiative is a multimedia effort to celebrate American servicemen and women, and raise awareness of issues and opportunities facing veterans. Launched in 2013, the program spans everything from series programming and documentaries to social media and editorial. Salute to Service will take center stage on Sportsman Channel on every major holiday that commemorates the U.S. military’s sacrifices and successes, including Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day. In expanding its content and coverage in 2014, Sportsman Channel’s initiative reflects its audience’s strong connection to military service, stories, people and patriotism.
Programming for Sportsman Channel’s Memorial Day Salute sponsored by Bravo Company (May 26, Noon-9 p.m. ET) will feature an all-day schedule dedicated to the people and issues that are in the forefront of what makes America the country it is. Hosted by acclaimed actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise, the marathon will pay tribute to all military, first responders and families of those who put their lives on the line everyday they go to work. During this special day, every program will have a connection to those who serve and sacrifice. Selected shows will feature field adventures with veteran or current active military personnel and the network will host a marathon of all eight episodes of NRA Life of Duty presented by Brownells, which includes former Marine and Fox News host Lt. Col. Oliver North. Life of Duty specifically highlights incredible Americans who put their lives on the line every day to protect American freedom, law and order.
NRANews Cam & Co. hosts a special day of programming on Memorial Day that includes two medal of honor recipients: Sgt. Clinton Romesha and Sgt. Dakota Meyer, along with Major Ed Pudillo, Folds of Honor Foundation, and former Marine, Fox News host and best-selling author Lt. Col. Oliver North.
Additionally, Sportsman Channel is offering the national broadcast premiere of the controversial documentary Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire narrated by critically-acclaimed rapper and actor Ice T. Assaulted brings audiences to the center of the controversy over Second Amendment rights infringement threatening individual liberty in America. The film, created by two-time Emmy winning producer and writer Kris Koenig (400 Years of the Telescope) and co-produced by Eric Katzenberg (Secrets of Navy SEALS, American Guns), takes a step back from the current public discourse that is filled with emotional rhetoric. The film also offers unique perspectives on the Second Amendment’s significance in American society while taking a critical look at current gun laws and their effect on public safety and civil rights.
“Sportsman Channel’s Salute to Service reflects a conscious desire to promote what Memorial Day is truly about – that it doesn’t just mark the beginning of summer and a day off of work,” said Marc Fein, executive vice president of programming & production of Sportsman Channel. “On this day we remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms, we tell their stories and remind people of the rights they fought to protect, and we honor their memory by helping those who have served and are in need of assistance.”
Also on Memorial Day, the network will air video “Soldier Salutes” – courtesy of the Department of Defense – from active military serving throughout the world. The salutes will offer an innovative chance for active military personnel to connect with their families back home through multiple media sources including a second screen application, as well as view personal dedications to their loved ones on the television screen as the nation also watches.
Viewers can actively participate by tweeting dedications to our nation’s fallen heroes, as well as loved ones, by using the hashtag #SportsmanHeroes @SPORTSMANchnl and watch them live on-air throughout the marathon programming.
From a tribute to Adam Brown on NRA Life of Duty to ex-Marine Craig Boddington sharing a touching story and honoring veterans during a hunt on Petersen’s HUNTING Adventures, Sportsman Channel’s Memorial Day Salute is focused on recognizing and connecting with the men and women serving today, as well as those who have served.
Sportsman Channel’s Memorial Day Salute airs on May 26 at Noon-9 p.m. ET. The following is the network’s special programming schedule:
- Noon – Petersen’s HUNTING Adventures: Marine and Army combat veterans join Craig Boddington and Ron Johnson from Brite-Strike on a mule deer and elk hunt honoring these wounded warriors.
- 12:30 p.m. – Brotherhood Outdoors: Leroy Shull, a retired IBEW electrical worker who founded “Fishing for Freedom” to give wounded heroes a chance to enjoy bass fishing, gets the chance of a lifetime as Brotherhood Outdoors honors his service by sending him to the Florida Keys to experience deep sea fishing for the first time.
- 1 p.m. – One More Cast with Shaw Grigsby: Shaw enjoys the privilege of introducing Iraq War veteran Alex Brown to some of Florida’s best bass fishing on a near-secret body of water known as Lake X. It’s a rare fragment of Old Florida, wild and unspoiled.
- 1:30 p.m. – Saltwater Experience: Hosts Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor welcome bomb tech and American hero, Mike Mednansky, and his wife Jen, to join them in the Florida Keys to fish for giant sharks.
- 2 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – Tribute to Adam Brown: The life story of a true American hero – a husband, father, man of unyielding courage and faith. Fearless and selfless, with the ability to achieve anything, Adam Brown, above all else, exemplified the American spirit.
- 2:30 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – Frog Dog: Dogs have long been referred to as man’s best friend. This Patriot Profile tells the impactful story of the bond between a U.S. Navy SEAL and his work dog.
- 3 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – Highest Honor: At 21-years-old, Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer had experienced combat, but nothing like the morning of September 8, 2009. Dakota remained behind with Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez while the day’s patrol traveled toward a place called Ganjgal, unaware that the Taliban and enemy insurgents awaited their arrival. They were outgunned, outnumbered and needed help – immediately.
- 3:30 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – Trial by Fire: On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Deputy Chief John Norman FDNY (retired) was asleep and oblivious to the attack on America by terrorists until his home answering machine went off with an urgent “all call” message from his department.
- 4 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – Smokejumpers: Smokejumping was developed in the late 1930s as a means to quickly reach fires in remote road-less areas. The primary mission of a smokejumper is fighting fire. Smokejumpers are considered a national resource and are occasionally deployed as a 20-person crew throughout the United States.
- 4:30 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – 3 Echo 9: Chemical weapons, biological warfare, toxic industrial materials and natural disasters, these are just a few of the threats the men and women of the 3E9 Emergency Management AFSC prepare for on a daily basis.
- 5 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – Catch & Release: On June 19, 2012, Deputy Matt Spink and Deputy Michael Northway pulled a vehicle over in an investigative traffic stop to question known associates of a dangerous felon regarding his whereabouts. Unbeknownst to them, Charles Wallace, the man they were looking for sat in the front passenger seat in a disguise. The driver, a woman, and a small child were also in the car. As deputies approached the car, Wallace rolled out of the vehicle and shot them.
- 5:30 p.m. – NRA Life of Duty – Protect & Serve: LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons was a well-respected officer, loyal husband, devoted father and friend to many. Above all else, Randy was a man of tremendous faith … a man who truly lived to protect and serve.
- 6 p.m. – NRANEWS Cam & Co.: A special “Best of” hour with host Cam Edwards. Special guests include: Lt. Col. Oliver North, Sgt. Dakota Meyer, Sgt. Clinton Romesha, Major Ed Pudillo and a special “Curator’s Corner” from Wanenmacher Tulsa Arms show featuring John Popp and Jim Supica, Senior Curator at the National Firearms Museum. Cam & Co. will talk to Russell Gackenbach, Army Air Corp Navigator in WWII, on the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan – and a special firearm he possesses.
- 7 p.m. – Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire: Dead Patriot Films presents “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire,” a one-hour documentary that brings audiences to the center of the controversy over an issue that is dividing our nation – gun control. Narrated by Ice-T, a critically-acclaimed rapper and actor, the film takes a controversial look at current gun laws and the rising movement to restrict rights guaranteed by our Second Amendment.
Join the Twitter conversation @SPORTSMANchnl and let your voice be heard by using #SportsmanHeroes.
