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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.
2025 American Valor Heroes
Heroes of World War II
Eighty years after the end of the war, for the final time, American Valor welcomes several dozen living legends of the war, average age of more than 100 years old. From D-Day to the Pacific, the Tuskegee Airmen to the soldiers who liberated the Nazi concentration camps, we are joined by a platoon’s worth of history’s greatest heroes, one last time. Story narrated by Chris Pine.
The Rosie the Riveters
As the boys returned home in the fall of 1945, victory was made possible by millions of American women: The Rosie the Riveters, who built the planes, ships, and tanks that won the war, and opened doors for generations of women to come. In celebration of the women who won the war 80 years ago, we are joined by these icons of history, surviving Rosies of World War II. Story narrated by Kristen Bell.
After the outbreak of the Korean War, 75 years ago, fewer than 30,000 United States Marines made their legendary stand when surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers at the epic Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. When the Marines broke out and withdrew from the port at Hungnam in December, 1950, they brought South thousands of North Korean refugees, including 14,000 aboard a single ship designed to carry fewer than 60, the SS Meredith Victory. When the last ships pulled out on December 24th, some 100,000 North Korean refugees had been saved, earning the mission the title of ‘The Miracle of Christmas.’ Today, more than one million South Koreans living in freedom trace their lineage to the Americans’ humanitarian mission at Hungnam. Among those set to join are the last surviving American veteran of the SS Meredith Victory, and the two known surviving Korean babies born aboard the ship during the evacuation, 75 years ago. Story narrated by Michael Keaton. >> LINK
The Olympian: Melvin Pender, Jr.
An officer with the 82nd Airborne Division, Mel Pender’s superiors discovered his world-class speed as halfback for the unit’s football team. Sent stateside, he was given new orders: Train as a sprinter, with sights set on the 1964 Olympic Team. Injured before the finals, Mel finished 6th. At the age of 27, he assumed his Olympic dream was over, and he deployed to the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam, seeing combat with the 9th Infantry Division. In 1968, he was ordered from the battlefield for one last Olympic shot – winning Gold in the 4x100 relay. Captain Pender would later set World Records in the 50, 60, 70 and 100 meter sprints. Story narrated by Joe Buck. >> LINK
The Last Flight Out
Fifty years ago, as Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended, on April 24, 1975 five young stewardesses volunteered for a secret and highly dangerous mission. With all flights into and out of Saigon canceled, Pan Am airlines received permission for a final flight to land an empty 747 and evacuate as many of the airline’s Vietnamese employees and families as possible. Carrying disguises and navigating soldiers armed with machine guns, the five stewardesses evacuated 463 refugees – 100 more than their plane could hold. Story narrated by Savannah Guthrie. >> LINK
The Horse Soldiers & the Hunt for Osama Bin Laden
In the weeks after September 11th, 2001, U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Team Alpha (ODA) 595 secretly entered Afghanistan on a special mission. One of the first 12-man A-Teams to be inserted into the Taliban-controlled country, the Green Berets took to horseback, linking up with friendly Northern Alliance fighters, and began the overthrow of the Taliban and the manhunt for Osama bin Laden. America’s first response to September 11th, nearly all of the surviving Horse Soldiers join for this special commemoration. Story narrated by Chris Pratt. >> LINK
A Final Closing Toast
In honor of the World War II generation on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, as the baton is passed to a new generation. Story narrated by Chris Evans.
A Final Closing Toast
In honor of the World War II generation on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, as the baton is passed to a new generation. Story narrated by Chris Evans.
Rosie The Riveters
As the boys returned home in the fall of 1945, victory was made possible by millions of American women: The Rosie the Riveters, who built the planes, ships, and tanks that won the war, and opened doors for generations of women to come. In celebration of the women who won the war 80 years ago, we are joined by these icons of history, surviving Rosies of World War II. Story narrated by Kristen Bell.
Heroes of World War II
Eighty years after the end of the war, for the final time, American Valor welcomes several dozen living legends of the war, average age of more than 100 years old. From D-Day to the Pacific, the Tuskegee Airmen to the soldiers who liberated the Nazi concentration camps, we are joined by a platoon’s worth of history’s greatest heroes, one last time. Story narrated by Chris Pine.
The Miracle of Christmas
After the outbreak of the Korean War, 75 years ago, fewer than 30,000 United States Marines made their legendary stand when surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers at the epic Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. When the Marines broke out and withdrew from the port at Hungnam in December, 1950, they brought South thousands of North Korean refugees, including 14,000 aboard a single ship designed to carry fewer than 60, the SS Meredith Victory. When the last ships pulled out on December 24th, some 100,000 North Korean refugees had been saved, earning the mission the title of ‘The Miracle of Christmas.’ Today, more than one million South Koreans living in freedom trace their lineage to the Americans’ humanitarian mission at Hungnam. Among those set to join are the last surviving American veteran of the SS Meredith Victory, and the two known surviving Korean babies born aboard the ship during the evacuation, 75 years ago. Story narrated by Michael Keaton.
The Olympian: Capt. Melvin Pender, Jr.
An officer with the 82nd Airborne Division, Mel Pender’s superiors discovered his world-class speed as halfback for the unit’s football team. Sent stateside, he was given new orders: Train as a sprinter, with sights set on the 1964 Olympic Team. Injured before the finals, Mel finished 6th. At the age of 27, he assumed his Olympic dream was over, and he deployed to the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam, seeing combat with the 9th Infantry Division. In 1968, he was ordered from the battlefield for one last Olympic shot – winning Gold in the 4x100 relay. Captain Pender would later set World Records in the 50, 60, 70 and 100 meter sprints.
The Last Flight Out
Fifty years ago, as Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended, on April 24, 1975 five young stewardesses volunteered for a secret and highly dangerous mission. With all flights into and out of Saigon canceled, Pan Am airlines received permission for a final flight to land an empty 747 and evacuate as many of the airline’s Vietnamese employees and families as possible. Carrying disguises and navigating soldiers armed with machine guns, the five stewardesses evacuated 463 refugees – 100 more than their plane could hold.
The Horse Soldiers & The Manhunt For Osama Bin Laden
In the weeks after September 11th, 2001, U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Team Alpha (ODA) 595 secretly entered Afghanistan on a special mission. One of the first 12-man A-Teams to be inserted into the Taliban-controlled country, the Green Berets took to horseback, linking up with friendly Northern Alliance fighters, and began the overthrow of the Taliban and the manhunt for Osama bin Laden. America’s first response to September 11th, nearly all of the surviving Horse Soldiers join for this special commemoration.
2025 American Valor Heroes
The Miracle of Christmas
After the outbreak of the Korean War, 75 years ago, fewer than 30,000 United States Marines made their legendary stand when surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers at the epic Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. When the Marines broke out and withdrew from the port at Hungnam in December, 1950, they brought South thousands of North Korean refugees, including 14,000 aboard a single ship designed to carry fewer than 60, the SS Meredith Victory. When the last ships pulled out on December 24th, some 100,000 North Korean refugees had been saved, earning the mission the title of ‘The Miracle of Christmas.’ Today, more than one million South Koreans living in freedom trace their lineage to the Americans’ humanitarian mission at Hungnam. Among those set to join are the last surviving American veteran of the SS Meredith Victory, and the two known surviving Korean babies born aboard the ship during the evacuation, 75 years ago. Story narrated by Michael Keaton.
The Olympian:
Capt. Melvin Pender, Jr.
An officer with the 82nd Airborne Division, Mel Pender’s superiors discovered his world-class speed as halfback for the unit’s football team. Sent stateside, he was given new orders: Train as a sprinter, with sights set on the 1964 Olympic Team. Injured before the finals, Mel finished 6th. At the age of 27, he assumed his Olympic dream was over, and he deployed to the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam, seeing combat with the 9th Infantry Division. In 1968, he was ordered from the battlefield for one last Olympic shot – winning Gold in the 4x100 relay. Captain Pender would later set World Records in the 50, 60, 70 and 100 meter sprints.
The Last Flight Out
Fifty years ago, as Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended, on April 24, 1975 five young stewardesses volunteered for a secret and highly dangerous mission. With all flights into and out of Saigon canceled, Pan Am airlines received permission for a final flight to land an empty 747 and evacuate as many of the airline’s Vietnamese employees and families as possible. Carrying disguises and navigating soldiers armed with machine guns, the five stewardesses evacuated 463 refugees – 100 more than their plane could hold.
Rosie The Riveters
As the boys returned home in the fall of 1945, victory was made possible by millions of American women: The Rosie the Riveters, who built the planes, ships, and tanks that won the war, and opened doors for generations of women to come. In celebration of the women who won the war 80 years ago, we are joined by these icons of history, surviving Rosies of World War II. Story narrated by Kristen Bell.
The Horse Soldiers & The Manhunt For Osama Bin Laden
In the weeks after September 11th, 2001, U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Team Alpha (ODA) 595 secretly entered Afghanistan on a special mission. One of the first 12-man A-Teams to be inserted into the Taliban-controlled country, the Green Berets took to horseback, linking up with friendly Northern Alliance fighters, and began the overthrow of the Taliban and the manhunt for Osama bin Laden. America’s first response to September 11th, nearly all of the surviving Horse Soldiers join for this special commemoration.
A Final Closing Toast
In honor of the World War II generation on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, as the baton is passed to a new generation. Story narrated by Chris Evans.
Heroes of World War II
Eighty years after the end of the war, for the final time, American Valor welcomes several dozen living legends of the war, average age of more than 100 years old. From D-Day to the Pacific, the Tuskegee Airmen to the soldiers who liberated the Nazi concentration camps, we are joined by a platoon’s worth of history’s greatest heroes, one last time. Story narrated by Chris Pine.
2025 American Valor Heroes
American Valor Sponsors
Northrop Grumman
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Boeing
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Breakthru Beverage
Capital Bank
Code of Support Foundation
Doolittle Raiders Educational
Fund Raising Strategies, Inc
Niall Gannon
Julian Gingold
Mrs. Carolyn Phillips & Mrs. Frances Horwitz
Innovation Norway
Robert Irvine Foundation
Kongsberg
Microsoft
Mission Resiliency - Laurel Ridge
Monument Wealth Management
Lt. Michael P. Murphy Scholarship
NADIC
United States Naval Academy
Naval History And Heritage Command
Harry J. Pearce
Patrick Porter
Matthew Pavone
Steve Ogier
Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Embassy of Qatar
Andrew Roberts
Old Glory Honor Flight
The ROX Group 6
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Victor & Wendy Sellier
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Stars And Stripes
TECRO
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U-Haul
Wounded Paw Project
With Additional Suppport from
With Additional Suppport from
Presented by
Presented by
With Additional Suppport from
Northrop Grumman
Veterans United Home Loans
American Airlines
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation
Gary Sinise Foundation
Hennessy
Moet & Chandon
Wounded Warrior Project
Boeing
Wells Fargo
Catherine Barr Windels
Robert Agostinelli Foundation
Breakthru Beverage
Capital Bank
Code of Support Foundation
Doolittle Raiders Educational
Fund Raising Strategies, Inc
Niall Gannon
Julian Gingold
Mrs. Carolyn Phillips & Mrs. Frances Horwitz
Innovation Norway
Robert Irvine Foundation
Kongsberg
Microsoft
Mission Resiliency - Laurel Ridge
Monument Wealth Management
Lt. Michael P. Murphy Scholarship
NADIC
United States Naval Academy
Naval History And Heritage Command
Harry J. Pearce
Patrick Porter
Matthew Pavone
Steve Ogier
Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Embassy of Qatar
Andrew Roberts
Old Glory Honor Flight
The ROX Group 6
Robert & Linda Sebo
Victor & Wendy Sellier
S&P Global
Stars And Stripes
TECRO
Teledyne Flir
Thompson Gray
U-Haul
Wounded Paw Project
2012
American Valor Debuts on Television
Two
Emmy Award Wins for American Valor
One Billion
AVC's Views on YouTube
& Facebook
2500+
Heroes' Stories Professionally Preserved
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