On Veterans Day, Comcast honored the nearly 50,000 National Guard and reserve service personnel that have been called up to battle the pandemic in recent months, including more than two dozen cable company workers.

As the nation celebrates Veterans Day and National Veterans and Military Families Month, Comcast said that more than two dozen of its employees in the National Guard and reserve services have been called up to complete thousands of missions such as manning testing and screening centers, delivering food and essential equipment to those in need, and building critical infrastructure. 

In a blog post Wednesday, Comcast pointed out two of its workers who have stepped up to the challenge: Leriqua Jackson, an Xfinity retail sales associate and specialist in the Texas Army National Guard, and Deeva Williams, a retail sales representative and specialist in the Washington Army National Guard. 

Jackson is from a military family -- her father served in the U.S. Marine Corps and her siblings are in the military, too. She is part of a headquarters unit overseeing administrative tasks, such as coordinating lodging, pay, and logistics, for units working in the field.

“I always did community service during my free time at school,” Jackson said in the blog post. “I was looking for more, so being able to dig in my heels and uplift the people of Texas during this time is an honor.”

Williams and her unit are supporting mobile food distribution sites throughout the Tacoma, Washington area.

 “It feels humbling and amazing to be able to see the smiles and the sigh of relief on people’s faces when you take away some stress during a time like this,” Williams said in the blog post.

In August, Comcast NBCUniversal was named the No. 1 employer for veterans by The Military Times in its Best For Vets: Employers 2020 list. 

“As a military-ready company, we are committed to ensuring that our military teammates have the resources and support they need to answer the call to service,” Comcast said in the blog posting. 

 At its NBCUniversal content unit, Comcast , as part of its BOLD Veterans Day celebration, launched a new Veterans Residency Program, designed for mid-to-senior level veterans who often face challenges locating opportunity in the civilian workforce. Beginning next year, the new partnership will allow two members of the military community exposure to all aspects of NBCU’s Advertising & Partnerships business, with the opportunity to become a full-time member of its team. 

Comcast is among several cable companies that have actively recruited military personnel to its employment ranks. About 10% of Charter Communications’ workforce are former military and the company has said it makes it a priority to hire veterans as they possess many highly-valued skills.  

Charter participates in military-focused career fairs that put job seekers in direct contact with Charter recruiters and also has established partnerships with military bases and organizations such as Centurion Military Alliance, Hiring our Heroes, Military Spouse Employment Partnership, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Wounded Warrior Project, to help recruit veterans to its workforce throughout its 41-state footprint.

Atlantic Broadband CEO Richard Shea joined executives from more than 50 companies to help honor U.S. veterans at the Nasdaq Marketsite in New York, by ringing the opening bell in a special ceremony at the stock exchange Monday.

The ceremony was part of an annual Veterans Day event sponsored by the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point (TLDG). Now in its sixth year, the event recognizes public and private companies that have made an impact supporting active duty military members, veterans, and their families.

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The event also featured roundtable discussion about how today’s executives can develop the next generation of America's business leaders through veterans support.

Shea, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, served as an officer in the army overseas and in the United States before achieving the rank of Captain.

“It is good to pause each year to reflect on the contribution made by our military personnel in their service to our country, as well as the substantial sacrifices our veterans and families have made in carrying out that service,” Shea said in a statement. “Still, our support for veterans cannot merely be one of thanks and appreciation, but finding concrete ways to support veterans in our business communities, including bringing their talents to our workplaces.”

Smithsonian Channel will celebrate Veteran’ Day with two specials that recognize and honor military servicemen that fought during the Vietnam War. The Gun Trucks of Vietnam, which debuts Nov. 11, explores the ingenuity of American servicemen through never-before-seen eight millimeter films shot directly by soldiers during combat, while The Lost Tapes: Tet Offensive premieres Nov. 18 and brings to life a defining moment of the Vietnam War through rare audio and exclusive video.

I recently spoke to Smithsonian Channel executive vice president of programming and production David Royle about the two Veteran’s Day-themed specials as well as their appeal to a new generation of viewers.

Why has the network put so much emphasis on Veteran’s Day-themed programming this year?

This isn't our first Veterans Day project for us, and telling America's big, dramatic history stories is right at the heart of what the Smithsonian Channel stands for. It feels like if any channel is going to tell these stories we should be doing it. These are pivotal moments in American history -- it's the heart of the American experience and they are big, bold dramatic stories that people forget about. I think we have a role in helping to bring them back to life and to tell them in a way that resonates for today's generations.

You mentioned that this isn’t the first time Smithsonian has created content around Veteran’s Day, but does this particular moment in time -- given our political environment -- invite a greater emphasis on honoring our military heroes and veterans?

We look for stories that resonate with today's audiences and stories that may be historical but have a current meaning. The films we've done this year are really the stories of young men who are sent to fight a war they frequently don't fully understand but nevertheless show extraordinary bravery. I think that obviously there are comparisons to be drawn with Afghanistan and Iraq. The viewer doesn't have to believe in the wars themselves, but I think what they take away from these films is that they can believe in the courage of the individuals who have gone to war on behalf of America.

Will these two specials have any appeal to young viewers?

 I often talk of The Lost Tapes (franchise) as history for the Internet age; what for me really makes it work is the fact that no one's telling you what to think. We live in an age where people get sick to death of all people of all political persuasions and television pundits telling them exactly what they should be and how they should interpret life and the events that go on. With The Lost Tapes: Tet Offensive there's no interviews or recreations but instead video and audio that's put together like a quilt into a seamless narrative, and you the viewer get plunged back into time and get to draw their own conclusions.

With Guns Trucks Of Vietnam, this is a film that's not about re-creations; I find it absolutely astonishing that these young men are being ambushed by the Vietcong on these really dangerous roads and some of them are filming amateur 8 millimeter films. They're just doing it for themselves; they're not doing it for television stations but they're doing it because they want to record what they went through. In today's age of iPhones and droids and everyone taking video we don't think of this happening 50 years ago, but they were filming video in the middle of the Vietnam War that was going on at the time.

Multiple networks are set to honor the troops on Veterans Day, presenting a host of series of documentaries, awards, tributes and more. Discovery Communications and Education, six Scripps Networks Interactive outlets, AHC, ESPN, Sportsman Channel, Reelz, INSP, HBO and Pivot are just some of the programmers involved.

The National Military Family Association, a nonprofit that works to protect military families, has paired with Discovery Communications for three Veterans Day events in New York City. A fundraiser reception, a comedy show and a float in the annual America's Parade will be included to support the troops and their families.

Six Scripps Networks Interactive outlets will roadblockA Hero’s Welcome (pictured), a special program that aims to honor one of our nation’s most deserving heroes in the biggest, most emotional, most memorable way imaginable. After serving his country for more than 25 years and recovering from life-threatening injuries, Staff Sergeant Tony Woods is preparing to retire from the military. He will return home to discover, with the help of Food Network’s Robert Irvine, HGTV’s Genevieve Gorder and Gary Sinise, the actor, humanitarian and founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, a completely renovated house for Tony and his family to retire comfortably. Airing on Veterans Day across Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, Travel Channel and Great American Country (click this link for primetime schedules), surprises and emotions will be on display as the team races around the clock to make sure they are ready to say “Welcome Home!”

The American Veterans Center Honors awards show will air on Reelz to honor the U.S. military on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. Humanitarian Gary Sinise, Joe Mantegna, Lorraine Bracco, Mark Valley, Taylor Kitsch and Pat Sajak are some of the stars who will share the heroes stories over the past 75 years.

Sinise will also host the start of Sportman Channel's, Salute to Service initiative sponsored by Bravo Company, which will air the documentary MURPH: The Protector, back-to-back episodes of Beyond the Battlefield and an hour of NRA NEWS Cam & Co. The channel will also begin voting for the best in outdoor television for the 2014 Sportsman Choice Awards on Nov. 10.

American Heroes Channel will dedicate eight days of special programming in November, with the premiere of The Real Inglorious Bastards on Nov. 11 at 10 p.m. and a new episode of D-Day To Victory on Nov. 15 at 10 p.m. The shows are among the  highlights of "Duty, Honor and Courage Week."

ESPN plans to air a week of programming as well with the sports giant's sixth annual America’s Heroes initiative. Live, day-long coverage will take place with ESPN2’s First Take at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey on Nov. 10 and the Armed Forces Classic from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico on Nov. 14.

Pivot is set to premiere That Which I Love Destroys Me on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m., to honor troops coming home with PTSD. Ric Roman Waugh’s documentary follow Veterans Tyler Grey (Delta Force) and Jayson Floyd (Army Ranger) through their personal and family struggles with the disorder.

The short film Not Forgotten will also premiere on Nov. 11 to tribute the POW/MIA service members on INSP, in partnership with The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration.To view a screener of Not Forgotten, click here, and enter the password:moment. 

HBO is set to air The Concert For Valor, a live show saluting America’s veterans from the Mall in Washington, D.C., at 7 p.m. (ET) on Veteran’s Day. Artists scheduled to perform include The Black Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood, Eminem and Metallica.

Discovery Education has taken a different route to commemorating the veterans, providing the first live, global, virtual field trip from the historic Tower of London. To honor the armed forces and Remembrance Day in the UK and Canada, students from the U.S. and Canada will have the opportunity to get a closer look into the First World War.

Sony Movie Channel has turned its “Mandays,” “The Recline” and “Friday Features” blocks to critically-acclaimed war films, military classics, and modern favorites. The month-long tribute is highlighted by the 2nd Annual “21 Film Salute Marathon,” as SMC honors Veterans Day with a two-day event starting Saturday, Nov. 8 at 5:20 a.m. ET, through Sunday, Nov. 9. The channel will present the 1982 miniseries The Blue and The Gray on Thanksgiving Day at 8 p.m. ET.

Dogs of War, a new docuseries where veterans suffering from PTSD are paired with shelter dogs trained to aid in their recoveries, will air this Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at 10 p.m, A&E announced today.

“This series is full of raw, real and intensely emotional moments that don’t often get a spotlight in mainstream media,” said General Manager and Executive Vice President of A&E, David McKillop in a release. “Each veterans’ story of survival is humbling and we are proud to create a series that captures the light at the end of the tunnel for these heroes.”

After the premiere event, the show will then move to Sundays at 10 p.m., starting Nov. 16.

Each hour, a soldier is paired with an adopted shelter dog trained in rehabilitation, to encapture their individual life journeys after combat.

The show is produced by Custom Productions, Inc. and Redtail Media, LLC for A&E. For Custom/Redtail Partners, the executive producers are Steve Stockman, Jared Cotton, Chris Burke and
Peter Logreco. For A&E, Brad Abramson, Fred Grinstein and Laurie Sharpe serve as executive producers.

HBO will telecast a live concert to honor military veterans on Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11).

The inaugural Concert For Valor concert, hosted by HBO and coffee company Starbucks, will honor the courage and sacrifice of America’s veterans and their families, the network said. The concert, which will take place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. and will look to raise awareness for veterans service organizations, will feature performances from such stars as Eminem, Jamie Foxx, Dave Grohl, Metallica, John Oliver, Rihanna (pictured), Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band, as well as special appearances by Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

HBO will open its feed to affiliates to allow non-HBO subscribers to view the special, said network officials.

“We are honored to play a small role to help raise awareness and support for our service men and women,” said  HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler in a statement. “Their immeasurable sacrifice deserves our nation’s gratitude. This event will not only celebrate their service, but help remind Americans of the many challenges they face on and off the battlefield. We are delighted to join with Starbucks in our mutual effort to pay tribute to our veterans and those currently serving in the military.”