Tom & Katie’s Patriotic Weekend
The 20th annual PBS Memorial Day Concert took place on the West Lawn of the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol Building where it took place and was broadcast live. This concert pays tribute to the sacrifices of American men and women in uniform.
Holmes, dressed in a simple black dress gave a performance along with her Broadway costar Dianne Wiest. Together, they told the story of Staff Sargent Jose Pequeno, of Sugar Hill, N.H., who became permanently disabled while serving in Iraq. Doctors told his mother that at best, he would end up in a vegetative state. Holmes played Pequeno’s younger sister Elizabeth, and Wiest his mother Nelly.
“It was touch and go for a long time. But then one day we were in the rehab gym while the physical therapists were stretching him. Maybe it hurt a little bit and all of a sudden he came out with, ‘Mom.’ We just burst out into tears. According to the doctors this wasn’t supposed to happen,” Holmes, portraying Elizabeth, said with a hint of emotion.
“It’s been three years now. We’re still with Jose all day long. We bathe him and dress him, make sure his feeding tube is working properly, drive him to physical therapy,” Holmes continued, “Jose is not alone. He is part of the family like he has always been.”
The play became the emotional high point of the evening and the performance received a rightfully deserved prolonged standing ovation.
