Veterans Advantage Awards | Veterans Advantage | Page 1

The Service

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.

Colin Powell

Veterans Advantage Awards HeroVet: Colin Powell Four-star general Colin Powell, 65th United States Secretary of State and first Black to hold such a high office, died on October 18, 2021 of complications with COVID-19 and his battle with myeloma, cancer of plasma cells. He was 84 years old, and was an inspiration to millions of Americans, civilians, veterans and today’s military.

Rob Riggle Marine

Veterans Advantage Awards CelebVet: Rob Riggle “The only way I was going to make full colonel is if I became Colonel Sanders. Which I did,” joked Rob Riggle. The comedian known for roles in television and film staples like SNL, The Daily Show, and The Hangover served 23 years in the Marine Corps as a Civil Affairs Officer and Public Affairs Officer. Lieutenant Colonel Riggle was awarded more than 21 medals and ribbons in his nine years of active duty and 14 years in the reserves, retiring from the military in 2013.

Jeff Bridges

Veterans Advantage Awards CelebVet: Jeff Bridges Beyond a 5 decade-long acting career, Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges has more to celebrate. He recently revealed his cancer is in remission, and he survived a debilitating case of COVID-19. The 71-year old actor, musician, and producer served in the Coast Guard Reserves before his illustrious work on screen.

Rick Rescorla

Veterans Advantage Awards HeroVet: Rick Rescorla Rick Rescorla was highly decorated for his battlefield bravery in Vietnam, even portrayed in a hit movie and popular book.

Luis Alvarez

Veterans Advantage Awards HeroVet: Luis Alvarez Each year on September 11 we recognize those lost in the terror attacks that day on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, DC in 2001. To many, NYPD officer Luis Alvarez will be a hero for those who still suffer for decades to come.

Elizabeth Banks USO

Veterans Advantage Awards VetFamily: Elizabeth Banks Actress, director, and producer Elizabeth Banks has a military family, and she proudly brought that connection to Hollywood.

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