HeroVet
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Rear Admiral Marsha J. Evans (U.S. Navy, Ret'd), President and CEO, American Red Cross
As President and Chief Executive Officer of The American Red Cross (ARC), Retired Admiral Marsha J. Evans leads this unique, global life-saving organization with the experience and expertise drawn from three decades of service to her country.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: General Richard A. Cody, Chairman of Homes for Our Troops
General Richard Cody, former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, served 36 years in the military, but perhaps his proudest work is through Home for Our Troops. After he retired from the Army in 2008, Cody was named chairman of the board at his first meeting.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Pat Gualtieri, Executive Director of the United War Veterans Council
Veterans, friends and family came out this past Sunday to remember the life of Pat Gualtieri, a Vietnam veteran who helped make New York City’s Veterans Day Parade great again.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Dr. Linda Spoonster Schwartz, Department of Veterans Affairs
This inspiring retired Air Force nurse overcame severe spinal decompression from a military service-related accident to earn her doctorate from Yale University before serving as Connecticut's Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and landing her current position.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Roscoe Brown, Tuskegee Airmen Battles Racism Over Generations
Ninety-two year-old Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. knows a thing or two about the military. The African-American educator was an original Tuskegee Airman in World War II and holds a long list of accomplishments as a veteran after his service.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Louis Zamperini, Olympian, POW, and Inspiration for 2014 Movie "Unbroken"
On Christmas Day, 2014, movie theatres unveil "Unbroken," the WWII war drama film produced and directed by Angelina Jolie based on the 2010 nonfiction book by Laura Hillenbrand, "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption." The Universal film, which revolves around the life of Olympic athlete Louis "Louie" Zamperini was offered in an advance screening in NYC at the USS Intrepid Museum for Vetera
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Rick Weidman, Executive Director of Government Affairs with Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
"Our founding principle at Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is to never again have one generation of American Veterans abandon another," says Rick Weidman, the advocacy organization's Executive Director of Government Affairs. The passionate former Army medic works hard to stand up for Veterans issues beyond those affecting his own generation.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Joseph H. Boardman, CEO of Amtrak
A recurring theme in our Post-9/11 world is the concern that we maintain the country’s economic and homeland security at the highest possible level. There are few areas that reflect this concern more than our nation’s transportation system. The executive charged not only with keeping our nation’s freight and passenger rail system safe, but also with helping to breathe new life into Amtrak, is Joseph Boardman, an Air Force veteran and long-time public servant.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr. USMC, Ret., NASA Administrator
For decades, the best-known Marine Corps Astronaut-turned public servant was Senator John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth. In 2009, nearly 50 years into America's Space Age, once again a Marine claimed a special place in space history and public administration, as Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr, USMC, Ret. became the first African-American and the second former astronaut to lead NASA.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Ed Koch, Late Mayor of NYC, and WWII Veteran
Born in the Bronx to immigrant Polish Jewish parents, Koch was drafted into the wartime Army in 1943 and earned two battle stars in Europe as an infantryman.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Rocky Bleier, Pittsburgh Steelers Star Running Back, Vietnam Veteran
Forty-five years since both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the U.S. Army drafted him, Rocky Bleier continues be the ultimate teammate – and one who recognizes his fellow veterans.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Col. Jack Jacobs, Vice Chairman of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation
In 1967, Col. Jack H. Jacobs joined the Army as a young lieutenant in Vietnam. He would serve eighteen years in the forces before retiring as a colonel and recipient of t
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: General David H. Petraeus, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
General David Petraeus is hardly living the life of your typical military retiree – as head of the Central Intelligence Agency, his impact is far reaching and increasingly in the public eye. Outside of presidents and prime ministers, a select few can lay claim to being a household name across the globe, and also have the responsibility in securing their safety and well being.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Rick Rescorla, Vietnam Vet and 9/11 Hero
Rick Rescorla was highly decorated for his battlefield bravery in Vietnam, even portrayed in a hit movie and popular book. As the head of security of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, he drilled employees regularly on evacuation from the Twin Towers, always believing it was vulnerable to a terrorist attack.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Eric Greitens, Chairman and CEO of The Mission Continues
Eric Greitens, a Navy SEAL Officer and Iraq War Veteran, has tapped into a unique blend of brains, heart and guts to serve his fellow Veterans. With intelligence, kindness and courage, he is doing more than helping those less fortunate get back on their feet - he is showing them how to lead in a mission-critical way.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Bonnie Carroll, Founder of T*A*P*S
Grief is a powerful emotion. Left unexpressed, it can consume one’s life. However, with the proper outlet to express it, grief can lead to healing and even hope.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Joseph J. Grano, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Centurion Holdings
Joe Grano has done much more than proving a kid with working-class roots can make it on the battlefield and in the boardroom. The former Green Beret earned his place with a front-row seat to events that have shaped our history over the last four decades. Today, he channels his energy and experience to inspire younger generations – including fellow vets – to find their path to success.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Times Square Heroes, Vietnam Veterans Alert Police of Bomber Threat
Many times acts of heroism are embodied by the famous and powerful. But sometimes it can be just an everyday face in the crowd, an ordinary person who steps up to do something extraordinary. On the evening on May 1, 2010, two seemingly ordinary people tapped into their Veterans experience to save lives at one of the nation’s most-famous public spaces: Times Square, New York City.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Navajo Code Talkers
More than sixty-five years since some of the bloodiest battles in American history, a small group of Veterans who fought in them, our earliest Americans, are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Bob Kingsley, Supporting Those Who Serve
Bob Kingsley is big in American Country Music circles. He’s a leading country music radio personality and host of nationally syndicated programs, a standard for over three decades. He’s also an Air Force vet who makes supporting those who serve a life priority, including Veterans Advantage partner Wounded Warrior Project.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: John Rowan, Vietnam Veterans of America
For Queens, New York native John Rowan, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America, helping fellow troops in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan and beyond will always be something near – and very dear – to his heart.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Senate Chaplain Barry Black
As is the case each year, Mother’s Day 2009 reminded us all of our moms and their role and impact in our lives. For the Navy’s own Barry Black, U.S. Senate Chaplain, mom is a central figure in his life of service to the country.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet: Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF, Retired
Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF, Retired, is a career trailblazer whose efforts are receiving the praises of the Obama White House. Serving in the Air Force for more than 28 years, she was one of the few military women in the Vietnam War who was not a nurse. Inspired by the efforts of her fellow servicewomen, she led the campaign to build a national memorial to recognize their service.
WeSalute Awards
HeroVet Brian Delate, Award-winning Actor and Director
For Vietnam veteran and award-winning actor/director Brian Delate, the traumatic events of 9/11 underscore the challenge for generations of servicemen and women —to bring closure and meaning to their own painful battlefield memories. By recalling his own personal story, and tapping into his passion for art, he is optimistic about restoring the lives of those who need extra help.