Veterans Advantage Awards | Veterans Advantage | Page 1

The Service

Admiral Lisa Franchetti. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopRank: Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti

Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti made history last month by becoming the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy. The Senate voted 95-1 to name her Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). She becomes the first woman to join the elite group of senior military officers who make up the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The White House announced her nomination July 21 and she was sworn in as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations in early November.

Simone Biles

Veterans Advantage Awards

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.

Andy Reid Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl

Veterans Advantage Awards

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.

Dolly Parton

Veterans Advantage Awards

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.

Tony Bennett

Veterans Advantage Awards

CelebVet: Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett, the timeless crooner and Army veteran, passed away on July 21 just a few weeks shy of his 97th birthday. His illustrious career won him 20 Grammy Awards and a recent resurgence in popularity through his musical collaboration with pop sensation Lady Gaga. He broke the Guiness World Record for oldest person to release an album of new material at age 95. Like many of his generation, Bennett served in the military during World War II.

Jaws

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopVet: Producers of the Movie "Jaws"

Jaws burst onto the silver screen in June of 1975 and become a historical icon for many reasons. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie became the prototype for the summer blockbuster.

Brian Armstrong

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopVet: Brian Armstrong

Marine Corps veteran Brian Armstrong is a transitioning veteran success story. From military recruiter to Lead Business Execution Consultant Program Manager for Wells Fargo, he has made the jump from service to success in the corporate world.

Chris Perkins

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopVet: Chris Perkins, Veterans on Wall Street

When Lehman Brothers collapsed at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Marine VETERAN Captain Chris Perkins was on the ground floor unphased. “People were screaming and crying. I had just come back from combat - I had seen worse.”

Dusty Barker

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopVet: Dusty Baker

The Houston Astros have high hopes for capturing their second consecutive baseball championship. To get there, Astros fans have once again put their faith in baseball and military veteran, Dusty Baker, who proudly served as a U.S. Marine.

Benjamin Ferencz Nuremberg Trials Veterans Advantage HeroVet

Veterans Advantage Awards

HeroVet: Benjamin Ferencz

Benjamin Berell Ferencz, the son of Hungarian immigrants, fought with the U.S. Army in World War II in Europe, witnessed the liberation of German concentration camps, and served as a lead prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials. For over 70 years, he has condemned atrocities against people of race or creed, and committed himself to settling disputes without the use of force.

Zach Bryan

Veterans Advantage Awards

CelebVet: Zach Bryan

A Navy Vet made former President Obama’s list of favorite music of 2022, next to names like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar.

Gary Sinise

Veterans Advantage Awards

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.

Lt. Amanda Lee of the Blue Angels

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopRank: Lt. Amanda Lee of the Blue Angels

The Blue Angels, the famed U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron that has delighted millions with its thrilling air shows, added its first female pilot last week. Navy Lt. Amanda Lee was tapped as the first female F/A-18E/F demo pilot. She and five other officers are the newest members of the 2023 Show Season for the Blue Angels.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

Veterans Advantage Awards

CelebVet: Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett, the timeless crooner whose career won him 20 Grammy Awards, will celebrate his 96th birthday next month. He’s currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity through his musical collaboration with Lady Gaga. And like many of his generation, Bennett served in the military during World War II.

Jessica Alba

Veterans Advantage Awards

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.

Justin Constantine

Veterans Advantage Awards

HeroVet: Justin Constantine

Editor’s Note: Marine Lt. Colonel, attorney and Veterans Advantage HeroVet Justine Constantine died on May 6, after a bout with cancer. Justin was severely wounded and narrowly escaped death from a sniper’s bullet to the head in Iraq in 2006. He endured countless surgeries, and with the support of his spouse, Dahlia, recovered and became a nationally recognized author and tireless advocate for Veterans. His HeroVet profile of 2016 is republished below. It is a story of great determination and resilience that serves as inspiration for all of us. He will be greatly missed.

Pat Tillman Army Afghanistan

Veterans Advantage Awards

HeroVet: Pat Tillman (in memoriam)

Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman shattered the illusion of the football player as a "warrior" and made it a reality when he announced his intention to join the United States Army 20 years ago, in May of 2002, putting his NFL career on hold.

Dave Roberts

Veterans Advantage Awards

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.

Dr. Linda Schwartz

Veterans Advantage Awards

HeroVet: Dr. Linda Schwartz

“If you have an opportunity to influence the outcome, to make it better, take it. You never know what else you’ll be able to do,” said Dr. Linda Schwartz when former President Obama asked her to be the first female Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning.

Jackie Robinson

Veterans Advantage Awards

HeroVet: Jackie Robinson

This year marks the 75th anniversary of baseball legend Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball – but sports wasn’t the only place he went up to bat for his race. Robinson was an Army veteran who was court-martialed for standing his ground in a segregated military experience during World War II.

David Seymour

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopVet: David Seymour

What child hasn’t dreamed of being able to fly? Like many youngsters, David Seymour was fascinated with flying and airplanes. And today, he lives that dream as a top executive and Chief Operating Officer at American Airlines.

Barack Obama and Sidney Poitier

Veterans Advantage Awards

HeroVet: Sidney Poitier

There is probably only one veteran who lied about his age to join the Army early and also went on to win an Academy Award. Bahamamian-American actor Sidney Poitier enlisted at age 16 and though his military service only lasted 10 months, his film career set records for Black individuals on screen for decades. Poitier passed away on January 6 at the age of 94.

Chuck Scarborough

Veterans Advantage Awards

TopVet: Chuck Scarborough

Air Force Veteran Chuck Scarborough is one of the most experienced and successful journalists in the country. Over five decades, both in New York City and nationally, he's earned a total of 36 Emmys. Importantly, he credits his military service for the skills, education, and discipline to break into and achieve a remarkable career that continues today.

Betty White

Veterans Advantage Awards

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.

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