Katie Holmes fought back tears as she read aloud from a soldier’s memoirs at a rehearsal for a Memorial Day tribute honouring U.S. war veterans.

Holmes appeared emotional as she rehearsed on the Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, preparing to take part in the 20th annual National Memorial Day Concert the following day.

The actress told the heart-wrenching story of the sister of injured Iraq war veteran Jose Pequeno, while her All My Sons co-star Dianne Wiest portrayed his mother Nellie Bagley.