VetFamily
VetFamily: Simone Biles
Olympic medalist Simone Biles re-entered the spotlight recently as the most decorated gymnast of all time, winning her 34th medal at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships this month in Antwerp, Belgium. In the stands to cheer her on was her dad Ron Biles, a United States Air Force veteran.
VetFamily: Andy Reid
The 2023 National Football League season is in full swing, and once again the Kansas City Chiefs are favorites to take home the Lombardi Trophy as champions. With the discipline and leadership skills he learned growing up in a military family, Head Coach Andy Reid is looking to bring home a third championship since he joined the Chiefs in 2013.
VetFamily: Dolly Parton
Music and entertainment Icon Dolly Parton will release her 49th solo album and first rock album this November. In addition to being a world-class musician, singer-songwriter, and philanthropist, the 77-year old country music star is married to a former military man and has proudly supported the U.S. military over her decades-long career.
VetFamily: Bo Derek
There probably aren’t a lot of actresses who are also an honorary Green Beret. Bo Derek is one. The model known for risque roles in 80s films like “10” and “Tarzan, the Ape Man” came from a military family and has worked extensively with veterans over many years, garnering her a high honor from the VA.
VetFamily: Cast of “Cheers” is Back
Here’s good news for you 1980s retro fans. The long-running NBC sitcom Cheers is back in bar chats this week as part of the show’s original set goes up for auction. Several actors from the hit 80s tv-show come from military families, including George Wendt and John Ratzenberger, who reunited last week to sit at the familiar wooden countertop that’s up for grabs.
VetFamily: Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston, star of the new Netflix movie “Murder Mystery 2” with Adam Sandler, is a household name. While she may best be known for her decade-long acting on the hit show “Friends,” the Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG award winning actress also comes from a military family.
VetFamily: Gary Sinise Plays Winning Role in Veterans Advocacy
Gary Sinise's most famous military role may have been Lieutenant Dan Taylor in "Forrest Gump," but these days he's playing a leading role in veterans' advocacy off screen.
VetFamily: Travon Walker
The NFL Draft’s number one pick Travon Walker is already succeeding in his debut season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, picking up his first sack in the Hall of Fame game earlier this month.
VetFamily: Jessica Alba
Actress Jessica Alba hails from a military family - both her father and grandfather served our country. Among her other accomplishments on and off the screen, the movie star, philanthropist, and entrepreneur became one of six newly announced members of the board of directors at Yahoo this month.
VetFamily: Dave Roberts
Dave Roberts, the 2020 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers manager, credits his late father, who served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, for his success as he leads the Dodgers into the 2022 season.
VetFamily: Betty White
This week, America mourns the death of its favorite Golden Girl: Betty White passed away on New Year’s Eve, just two weeks before her 100th birthday. While best known for her seven decade-long career in Hollywood, the eight time Emmy-winning actress was greatly influenced by military service, including her marriage to Allen Ludden, a Bronze Star medal recipient and celebrity game show host and volunteering to support the troops in World War II.
VetFamily: Elizabeth Banks
Actress, director, and producer Elizabeth Banks has a military family, and she proudly brought that connection to Hollywood.
VetFamily: Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has had more success than most actors and actresses dream of, spending 10 years on the hit show “Friends” and moving on successfully to major films. It’s easy to forget that she comes from an acting family and, maybe more surprisingly, a military family.
VetFamily: Kathryn Cross
Kathryn Cross truly lives a life of devotion to our country, and its women and men who served it. She was born on an Air Force base, and has a rich family history of military service, including her dad who served during the Korean War as a flight instructor. She encouraged her firstborn to join the Navy as an aspiring SEAL, and he once proudly told his mother, “I am a lifer Ma, I love what I do!”
VetFamily: Jimmy Fallon
"You serve with bravery. You serve with style. You serve with six pack abs. I can barely run a mile," sang comedian Jimmy Fallon. “Well, we owe it all to you. I only wanna thank the troops,” he finished to the tune of Hootie and the Blowfish's hit "Only Wanna Be With You” as an audience of soldiers clapped along on The Tonight Show in 2018.
VetFamily: John Mayer
“I am about the same age as the first wave of Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans,” said popular singer John Mayer, speaking about today’s post-9/11 veterans. “I have felt gratitude and discomfort about the disproportionately large burden that military service members carry in our society, and I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to ‘support the troops’ with real action instead of platitudes.”
VetFamily: Darrell Hammond
“My experience is, you become a warrior, it's pretty tough to convert. You know, it's tough to look into the eyes of an SS officer on Friday, and pump gas in Mississippi on Monday.
VetFamily: Pink, Daughter of Vietnam Veteran and Military Supporter
“I have seen the rain. I've survived the pain. Oh I've been home 30 years or so, and I'm just stepping off of the plane...”
VetFamily: Michael Jordan
The grit. The discipline. The stamina. These are part of what made Michael Jordan one of the best basketball players in history. But they’re also qualities of two of his family members who served in the military: James Jordan Sr., his father, in the Air Force, and James Jordan Jr., Michael’s older brother, in the Army. All three Jordans possessed the team loyalty and leadership capability required for a life in service on or off the court.
Derek Jeter, Son of Two Army Veterans
Derek Jeter’s superstar achievements confirm the New York Yankee traditions that have preceded him. But, unlike many of history’s prior pinstripe legends, the true measure of Jeter’s success is due to his play on and off the field – and it comes thanks in large part to his parents who both served in our nation’s military.
VetFamily: Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia has been in show business most of his life, but is best-known these days for his leading role in NBC’s hit drama series “This is Us.” Chronicling the Vietnam War service of his character, Jack Pearson, Milo credits the experiences of his Vietnam veteran father to help bring the role to life.
VetFamily: Patton Oswalt, Comedian and Son of a Marine
Most of America knows Patton Oswalt, the television and standup comedian, from The King of Queens and Two and a Half Men. But few know that he was named after legendary US General George S. Patton, thanks to his Marine Corps Officer father. Oswalt, with his signature wit, once tweeted his Dad “USMC Col. Larry J. Oswalt (Ret.) -- a jet fighter man and continuing awesome dad. Thank you for fighting for my right to whine.”
VetFamily: Dennis Quaid
Actor Dennis Quaid has appeared in dozens of movies, including “The Right Stuff,” “The Parent Trap,” “Breaking Away,” and “The Rookie,” among others. Among his many awards, he received the New York Film Credits Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor in “Far from Heaven.” Throughout Quaid’s star studded career, his World War II veteran father motivated and inspired him.
VetFamily: Chris Pratt
“We have the greatest armed forces the world has ever seen,” movie star Chris Pratt wrote on Instagram.