There will be many honors this Memorial Day week for the military men and women who lost their lives while serving their country.  Music will be a large part of that. 

One of them is the world premiere recording of the opera An American Soldier.  It’s the true story of the young Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen who was beaten every day by his fellow soldiers during his service in Afghanistan that he committed suicide.

There is also a new version of  Symphony For Vietnam Veterans.   Composer and retired U.S. Army Captain James Kimo Williams has released a string orchestra version of his orchestral piece about his time in war.