Featured HeroVet
Not many Academy Award winning actors started out as immigrant teens washing dishes. But Sidney Poitier, a young orphan desperate to emerge from poverty and make something of himself, faced his raw beginnings by joining the U.S. Army, and has made history as a trailblazing actor ever since.
Some say his highest achievement is becoming the first black American to win an Academy Award nearly 50 years ago, inspiring countless others to follow and emulate him. But Poitier is very respectful of his spot in history. Reflecting in 2002 on his most recent Oscar, a lifetime achievement award, Poitier says:
“I accept this award in memory of all the African American actors and actresses who went before me in the difficult years, on whose shoulders I was privileged to stand to see where I might go.”
Born in 1927 in Miami, Florida, Sidney Poitier grew up in the small village of Cat Island, Bahamas. His father, a poor tomato farmer, moved the family to the capital, Nassau, when Poitier was eleven, and left for the United States as a young teen without any money.
He went to an Army recruitment office during World War II and said he was 18, when he was only 16. He then went on to serve the Army as a physiotherapist for almost a year. According to the Los Angeles Sentinel, “The U.S. Army literally took him in out of the cold.”
Featured Top Vet
Snap-on CEO Nicholas T. Pinchuk is a proud Vietnam Veteran seasoned in the boardroom, lab, and factory floor, who brings a spirit of innovation and high-tech savvy to our nation’s pre-eminent tool supplier for professionals.
A product of the ROTC program with a graduate degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard, Pinchuk values teamwork and camaraderie. They make for superior employees, franchise operators and business partners.
“In Vietnam, you learned the lesson of being confident and collected under pressure. And what you saw more graphically than in any other situation is that in such a pressure environment, your team can get rattled, but they look to you, as their leader, for stability,” he tells Veterans Advantage in an exclusive interview. “They will take their cues from you. They will be confident or concerned, depending on how you react to the situation.”
“This is true, whether you are in a war zone, a factory or a board room,” he adds.
Featured Cover Story
Special to Veterans Advantage
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Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder and president of Give an Hour
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Over the past several weeks, the world has watched the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti with sadness and horror. We have witnessed profound devastation and unfathomable loss of life. The International Red Cross estimated that about 3 million people were affected by the quake. Haitian President Rene Preval stated on January 27 that nearly 170,000 bodies had been counted thus far. The New York Times reported that 20,000 commercial buildings and 225,000 residential structures had collapsed or were severely damaged. We have seen countless images of the catastrophe on television and the internet, heard numerous accounts of overwhelming human suffering, and watched with awe the heroic efforts of those who have responded to the call for help.
Featured Vet Family
For Ken Fisher, the extensive military family housing project that bears his name is more than a "thank you for your service." It's run like a business, and is a model for military and veteran philanthropy for the 21st Century.
"'Thank you for your service' is no longer enough,'" he tells Veterans Advantage in an exclusive interview. "While we have become better as a nation in supporting them, they are owed a heck of a lot more than a thank you, especially if they are wounded," said Fisher, chairman of the Fisher House Charitable Foundation, and the son of a Korean War veteran.
Fisher's vision reflects a family commitment to thank the troops in significant and tangible ways, and a personal resolution not to allow a repeat of what previous generations of Vets have suffered.
"It was really growing up with a televised war (Vietnam) and what happened when they came home that shaped my thinking," he said, recalling how, as a youngster, he was struck by the lack of appreciation given to those returning from Vietnam and Korea.
"My father never really spoke much about his service - which is typical of Vets of that era - they are the forgotten generation of Vets - Korea (Dad) and ‘Nam," he added.
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From the Blog: Our Founder's View
Fisher House Gets $250,000 Donation From President Obama
We were delighted to learn that President Obama is giving $250,000 of his Nobel Peace Prize award to the Fisher House. Just two days before the news, I stopped by CEO Ken Fisher's offices to recognize him too with a special award from Veterans Advantage. ... MORE... 
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