Honoring Our Service Members 🎖️
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Season 2: Episode 118 Description
In today's episode: 🎖️ It's almost time to celebrate Memorial Day, a day when Americans come together to honor our fallen heroes; the veterans who sacrificed their lives serving in the United States armed forces. 🪖 Correspondent Pamela Kirkland is back and here to tell us all about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 🏎️ Memorial Day is full of celebrations, including the Indy 500, so we have Kenny Curtis joining us from the track to tell us all about it! And, test your barbecuing knowledge on today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:02
What is that? It smells delicious. Tessa, are you barbecuing in the studio?
Tessa Flannery 0:08
Memorial Day is upon us, Bethany, and Tracy said we can celebrate however we want. Do you want a tofu burger or a hot dog?
Ryan Willard 0:18
What up team? Tessa, let me get two burds and a diggity dog. Please & thanks!
Bethany Van Delft 0:24
Pete, did you drive an IndyCar here today?
Pete Musto 0:27
Oh, honk. Yes, I did. It's one of my favorite races of the year and Tracy said we can celebrate however we want.
Ryan Willard 0:37
I'm going to take it for a spin, Pete. Thanks for the hotdog. Tessa. I'll be at the beach if you need me, Bethany. Bye.
Bethany Van Delft 0:43
Wait, Ryan, we have to. Okay, well, I know Memorial Day is about more than just those things. So, I'm going to celebrate by exploring it all with you. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Thursday, May 26th. And this is the Ten News.
Various Voices 1:02
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 1:10
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer. And that means it's time for one of Pete Musto's favorite races. The Indy 500. What exactly is the Indy500? Ten News correspondent Kenny Curtis is here to tell us all about the big racing event.
Kenny Curtis 1:32
Ladies and gentlemen, start, you know, I'm sorry, I didn't I didn't realize we were recording already. Hi, I'm just getting ready for one of the season's biggest races, the Indianapolis 500, or as it's more commonly known the Indy 500. You see the Indy 500 is an annual automobile race held in Indianapolis, Indiana. It features 33 international drivers 200 long laps and 500 magnificent miles, making it one of the biggest motorsport events in the world. Wow. And it's been around for a long time. This year is the 106th running of the Indy 500. The first-ever race was held in 1911. And they've only skipped a few years due to major events like oh, I don't know World War I and World War II. And over time, the Indy 500 has transformed into one of the most popular sporting events across the globe. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest sporting facility in the world with more than 250,000 grandstand seats. No way. Of course, these numbers may be reduced due to COVID protocol, but that's still quite a crowd. And that doesn't even count the people watching on TV. Last year's race had more than five and a half million viewers. That's a lot of eyeballs. So, how exactly does the Indy 500 work? Well, to win the race, a driver has to be the first car to complete 500 miles. And these aren't normal race cars either. They're called Indy cars and feature a single-seat, an open cockpit, and open wheels. The Indy cars have to take 200 laps around the track to achieve the 500 miles why? Yes, I said 200 laps. And to answer your next question. Yes, the race takes quite a while. The average Indy 500 takes about three to four hours depending upon whether most drivers take about seven pitstops throughout the race to change out tires and add more fuel. But these stops usually happen in less than 15 seconds. So if you're wondering about bathroom breaks, there aren't any. The drivers just have to hold it. Because it's an international event. The race features 33 drivers from around the world including Brazil, France, Australia, Japan, Great Britain, and Germany. And although the sport is still predominantly male, it includes both male and female racers that qualify awesome but the Indy 500 is more than just another sports event. It's become something about cultural tradition. It's always held around Memorial Day weekend and helps signal the start of the summer season. It's a kind of fun laid back atmosphere complete with parades, concerts, balloons, and even specific songs. Now my personal favorite tradition started in 1936 when three-time winner Louis Meyer drank a bottle of milk after winning the race. Now it's a tradition for every winter to drink milk in victory lane after winning the Indy 501 A refreshing way to celebrate this year's Indy 500 will take place on Sunday, May 29th. So make sure to check it out to see what all the fuss is about. And if you'll excuse me, I have to go do some practice laps. Maybe get a glass of milk, maybe a cookie?
Bethany Van Delft 4:49
I can do with a cookie. Thanks, Kenny. Boy that got me all fired up. Pete, let me know if you want to race later. Memorial Day is not just about barbecues, Indy cars, and the start of summer, it's a day Americans honor fallen heroes, the veterans who sacrificed their lives serving in the United States Armed Forces. On Monday, May 30th, President Biden will visit the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC, and do what every US president has done since 1912. Ten News correspondent Pamela Kirkland is back. and here to tell us all about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Pamela Kirkland 5:40
We know Memorial Day is about honoring those who've died while serving our country. But what about those we don't know? How do we honor Americans who've lost their lives fighting for the liberty and freedom of this country, but their identities remain a mystery. Let's talk about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, also known as the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The monument has sat on top of a hill with a view of Washington DC. It was created because, during the First World War, many soldiers died and couldn't be identified as a man. On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unknown American soldier who died during World War One. One unknown soldier was picked to represent all of those unknowns whose lives had been lost in the war. The casket with that one American soldier who was buried in France was put on a ship. Two years after World War One ended, President Warren G. Harding awarded the soldier various metals, including the Medal of Honor and the Victoria Cross, wow. After a series of ceremonies were performed, marble was placed over the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. But Congress wanted to do something more. In 1926, Congress allowed more money to finish the structure, and work on the tomb was finally completed in 1932. Nice, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is broken into different parts, each weighing a lot. The entire marble tomb weighs 79 tons, that's as much as 11 elephants. Early on the marble are three Greek figures representing peace, victory, and valor, which means courage in the face of danger. On the back of the tomb are the words here rest in honored glory and American soldier known but to God? Well, every president since Harding has spoken at the tomb, and each year present the Medal of Honor. The tomb holds the remains of service members from World War One, World War Two and the Korean War. The tomb also held the remains of a soldier from the Vietnam war until 1998, when the identity of that soldier was discovered and his body was returned to his family. That's incredible. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No matter if it's raining, snowing or Sunni. There's always a soldier on guard. Those guards are called sentinels. When guarding the tomb, soldiers don't wear anything that show what rank they are in the military out of respect for the service members in the tomb. Rank is the level of soldier achieves while serving in the military. Each guard takes 21 steps, turns, faces the tomb for 21 seconds, switches the rifle position and walks back down the mat 21 steps. The 21 number represents the 21 gun salute a military tradition and the highest of military honors. for over 100 years, the tomb has been a symbol of service and sacrifice.
Bethany Van Delft 9:31
Thank you for that Pamela and welcome back. And thank you to the nation's veterans and service members. Hey Ryan, I know you're at the beach but can you give us the rundown?
Ryan Willard 9:52
Ryan Willard here with your rundown. COVID-19 vaccines for five-year-olds and under could be coming very soon. Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine has an efficacy of 80.3%. According to a preliminary analysis, the results are based on clinical trials in which kids from six months to age five got three doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Pfizer plans to submit their new data to the FDA this week and the FDA updated its schedule for its vaccine Advisory Committee saying it will meet to discuss on June 15th. Heat waves could be continuing in the northeast, over 10 million people are under a heat advisory as record temperatures are forecasted from Washington DC to New Hampshire Afternoon temperatures on Sunday could climb into the 90s in that region with a possibility of the heat index values going up into the one hundred CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said this is about 15 to 25 degrees above normal for this time of year. The water level in Lake Mead dropped to the lowest it's ever been. The US’s largest reservoir like mine dropped below 1050 feet elevation for the first time last week. As the water level drops formally sunken boats are emerging in the mud. If the US Bureau of Reclamation determines that the lake will be at or below this level in January of 2023. The Southwest will move into a second tier of water restrictions that will reduce the amount of Colorado River water that can be used by cities, industry and tribal water users. Okay, that's bad. I'm Ryan Willard. That's your rundown. Back to you, Bethany.
Bethany Van Delft 11:32
Lucky you, it's...
Various Voices 11:33
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 11:37
Trivia on the Ten. A very popular activity on Memorial Day weekend is barbecuing, turn some burgers, or tofu on the grill with friends and family getting together. But, do you know which state lays claim to the world's largest barbecue pit? Is it a) Alabama b) Georgia or c) Texas? Did you guess it? The answer is C. Texas is famous for its size and its barbecue. So it's not surprising. The largest barbecue pit is there. It's 76 feet long, and could cook up to four tons of meat. And it's built on wheels so it can bring barbecue wherever it's needed. Unbelievable. And now I just need some mac and cheese to go with my four tonnes of barbecue. That's our show. We hope you have an absolutely delightful Memorial Day weekend however you might be celebrating. And before we go here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next CHapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is wearing poppies for remembrance and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Ryan Willard, Adam Barnard, and Tessa Flannery, Kenny Curtis and Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft, and thanks for listening to the Ten News.
