Bo Derek, Ann-Margret, Tanya Tucker and More Share Powerful Memorial Day Quotes
See what they have to say about entertaining the troops, family members who served and more
Memorial Day may often be thought of as the unofficial start of summer, but it’s also a day of solemn contemplation and gratitude for those of us who have military personnel in our families. During this holiday, we reflect on the service they’ve given the country and take the time to honor them and remember those we’ve lost with Memorial Day quotes and tributes.
Over the years, a number of celebrities who have been interviewed for our sites and appeared on the cover of Woman’s World and our sister magazine, First for Women, have spoken movingly about the holiday and what honoring the military means to them. Here’s a look at some poignant Memorial Day quotes from country singers, movie stars, news anchors and more.
1. Tanya Tucker: ‘I pay homage to them’
Country icon Tanya Tucker may be known for her toughness, but she got emotional talking about the troops, saying, “On Memorial Day, I definitely pay homage to them. I think they should be celebrated and people should do all kinds of things for them. I just want to be a better American and honor our military. I thank them very much.”
2. Naomi Judd: ‘I want to be able to bring all the dogs home’
Country music matriarch Naomi Judd, who tragically passed away in 2022, spoke passionately of her work helping veterans and their beloved pets through the American Humane Association, saying, “I’ve worked with five veterans who were in Fallujah, which is the worst fighting zone, and all of them had really bad PTSD.”
She continued, “The military got them to the States because that’s where the care is, but that leaves their dogs. These dogs are the guys’ comfort. They’re everything to them. These five guys were not doing well because of the PTSD, so I was able to find all five dogs and it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life. I want to be able to bring all the dogs home.”
3. Savannah Guthrie: ‘We have to care for those who are caring for them’
Today anchor and author Savannah Guthrie is a supporter of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and their Hidden Heroes campaign, a cause that’s “all about taking care of military caregivers.”
She said, “I’m really passionate about that work and shining a light on caregivers. They just want to be seen and valued for this incredible service that they are providing, and I always say, ‘If we want to care for our veterans—we always say that we do and I think we do—then we have to care for those who are caring for them.’ That’s a big passion of mine.”
4. Ann-Margret: ‘It means the world to me’
The legendary actress and singer Ann-Margret, who appeared in classic ’60s films like Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas, shared fond memories of her times performing for servicemen, recalling, “I went to Vietnam in 1966 and 1968 for the troops. Often throughout the years, I’ve received letters from men and women who were there. It means the world to me.”
5. Eva LaRue: ‘It never means as much as when you actually lose the person’
General Hospital star Eva LaRue shared that Memorial Day took on a new resonance following the passing of her father, who was a veteran of the Korean War. “It never means as much as when you actually lose the person who had served our country,” she said.
6. Marie Osmond: ‘Memorial Day causes me to focus my attention on those we’ve lost’
Singer and businesswoman Marie Osmond told us she sees the holiday as a time to appreciate people who are no longer with us, saying, “Memorial Day causes me to focus my attention on those we’ve lost, and also on our veterans and the important work they’ve done”
7. Bo Derek: ‘It opens your heart to be surrounded by inspirational people’
10 star Bo Derek said that serving as a chairperson for disabled veterans with the VA was a great honor. As she described it, “Those volunteer activities really ground you. It really does feel good and it balances stress. It opens up your brain, your heart and then to be surrounded by people who are so inspirational is good.”
8. Korie Robertson: ‘Memorial Day means a lot to our family’
Duck Dynasty reality star Korie Robertson shared that her favorite childhood photo featured her grandpa and all the grandkids saluting the American flag on Memorial Day and said, “Both of my granddads were veterans, so Memorial Day means a lot to our family. We definitely learned to have a lot of respect for our country and the men and women who have fought for our freedom.”
9. Jessie James Decker: ‘It’s a blessing to be part of a military family’
Country singer and reality star Jessie James Decker told us she was proud to grow up as an army brat, saying, “I grew up as a military brat my entire life, and so it’s been such a blessing and such an honor to be a part of a military family . . . My mom is a military spouse and we moved around quite a bit, but we were always going on all these really amazing adventures, and my mom was able to make our home, every time we moved, feel just like home. It was truly special.”
10. Christy Carlson Romano: ‘You have this strength inside of you’
Former Disney star Christy Carlson Romano, known for shows like Even Stevens and movies like Cadet Kelly, is married to Marine veteran Brendan Rooney, and said, “Something that my husband has told me about was when you join the military, especially when you join the Marines, you have a chip on your shoulder and it’s kind of like a badge of honor, because you know that you have this strength inside of you. When you’re in the military, you get the opportunity to showcase that toughness.”
11. Ken Wahl: ‘My purpose is to help military personnel’
After experiencing a life-threatening injury, Wiseguy star Ken Wahl retired from acting in 1996 and turned his attention to advocating for veterans by pairing them with rescue animals and doing whatever he can to help lower the heartbreaking rate of veteran suicides.
He explained, “My purpose is to help military personnel that have PTSD, which causes them a deep depression and then potential suicide, to connect them with animals. After I got hurt, animals to me were a great solace and a great comfort. So, I thought, ergo, if they are comforting to me, they might possibly be comforting to these poor souls suffering from PTSD.”
12. Scotty Hasting: ‘It’s a conversation I have with God every day’
Country musician and Purple Heart recipient Scotty Hasting overcame the unthinkable when he survived being shot 10 times while serving in Afghanistan. Sadly, his best friend, Adam Hamilton, didn’t have the same fate, and was killed in combat. Hasting wrote his song “How Do You Choose?” to pay tribute to him, saying, “That song was the hardest song I’ve ever written.”
He elaborated, “The chorus of that song is a conversation I have with God every day about why am I here. I was shot 10 times. The survivability of that is pretty dang close to zero and there’s people who get hurt far less than I did and they’re not here anymore. It’s something I still struggle with every day. Why am I here? Why do I deserve to be here? There’s a part in that song that talks about, ‘Did I win or did I lose?’ By being here is that winning or is that losing? My friend Ham being up in heaven, is that winning or is that losing? How do you choose?”
13. Harris Faulkner: ‘We owe them a huge debt’
Fox News host Harris Faulkner is the daughter of military veteran Lt. Col. Bobby Harris and created the special Vietnam: Footsteps of My Father to honor him. She reflected on the service of military heroes, saying, “There is a price to pay to fight. When you fight for America, you believe in what she is fighting for because you’ve been tasked as a soldier. You don’t have a political game. You’re on order, and you go in. We owe them a huge debt. I just thank them for believing in our nation to go so far and sacrifice so much.”
14. Martha MacCallum: ‘I was so moved’
Fox News host Martha MacCallum has hosted a number of specials paying tribute to veterans, and in 2020, she published Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima, a book exploring the story of her mother’s cousin, Harry Gray, who died at Iwo Jima at just 18.
She told us about her emotional connection to his story, recalling, “When I was a teenager, my mom shared some letters that her cousin had written to his family from Iwo Jima and from when he was training in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune. I was so moved by this young man’s letters, and of course I never had the opportunity to meet him. It just opened up this whole story to me, the people he mentioned in the letters and the people he met over there and how courageous, but scared, he was as a teenager in World War II . . . Writing the book made me so interested in World War II and veterans, and I ended up meeting two people who were with him when he was killed, which I never anticipated was even possible.”
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