Veterans Breakfast Club

Join Glenn Flickinger and the Veterans Breakfast Club for a live conversation with author Gregg Jones about his acclaimed book, Most Honorable Son: A Forgotten Hero’s Fight Against Fascism and Hate During World War II. Jones tells the remarkable story of Ben Kuroki, a Japanese American farm boy from Nebraska who became one of World War II’s most extraordinary airmen. At a time when more than 100,0...

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present. We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a quest...

How has World War II shaped your family? What stories, memories, questions, and mysteries have been passed down through the generations? Join host Glenn Flickinger for a special Greatest Generation Live conversation exploring the enduring impact of World War II on veterans and the families who inherited their legacies. We’ll hear from Lee Kikel, whose father, Melvin Goldman, survived the Holocaust...

We welcome Naval officer, diplomat, strategist and author Tom Duffy for a conversation about a largely forgotten Cold War–era naval campaign: Operation Earnest Will. During the final years of the Iran–Iraq War, the Persian Gulf became the scene of a dangerous maritime struggle known as the “Tanker War.” Iran and Iraq attacked oil tankers to cripple each other’s economies and pressure international...

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special VBC LIVE program on Monday, June 22 at 7pm ET exploring the history and human experience of the Berlin Airlift—one of the defining moments of the early Cold War. In June 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin, cutting off food, fuel, and supplies to more than two million civilians. Rather than abandon the city or risk war, the United States and...

Join us for a remarkable story of survival, courage, chance, and resilience as Doug Cervi shares the life of Holocaust survivor David Wisnia (1926–2021), whose experiences spanned some of the darkest and most consequential events of the twentieth century. Born into a Jewish family in Warsaw, Poland, David was a gifted singer whose voice would help save his life after he was deported to Auschwitz a...

We welcome retired Army General and bestselling author Mark Hertling for a special VBC LIVE conversation about his powerful new memoir, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal. Drawing from a journal he kept during Operation Desert Storm, Hertling reflects on combat, leadership, fear, family, and the deeply personal thoughts he recorded for his young sons in case he never made it home. More...

Glenn Flickinger talks with Navy veteran, playwright, and director Harry Kantrovich the acclaimed drama Judgement at Nuremberg, the famous 1961 film starring Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster. Harry brings rare expertise to this discussion, having directed Judgement at Nuremberg on stage with the Prince William Little Theatre. His work brings this difficult history to life, challenging audiences to...

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club on Thursday, June 4 at 7:00pm ET for a special livestream conversation with historian Nicholas Evan Sarantakes about his acclaimed new book The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War. In February 1945, American and Japanese forces fought one of the most brutal urban battles of World War II: the month-long struggle for Manila. Often overshadowed by Iw...

On Thursday, May 28 at 7:00pm ET, VBC Greatest Generation Live takes a timely look at one of the most anticipated WWII films of the year: Pressure, the new historical drama about the tense and uncertain 72 hours before D-Day. Joining us live will be the film’s director and co-writer, Anthony Maras, for a conversation with VBC historian Glenn Flickinger about the history behind the movie and the ex...

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special Memorial Day virtual event on Monday, May 25, 2026, at 7:00pm ET. This live, online conversation invites veterans, families, and friends to gather in an open, heartfelt space to honor and remember those who have fallen in service to our nation. The event will take place on Zoom and will also be streamed live to Facebook and YouTube. Join us on Zoom he...

Who was Omar Bradley? The answer is more elusive than generally understood. Often remembered as the calm, steady “GI’s General” of World War II, General Omar Bradley commanded more American soldiers in combat than any other officer in U.S. history. Yet compared to Eisenhower, Patton, and MacArthur, Bradley remains a surprisingly enigmatic figure. Was he the humble soldiers’ general of popular memo...

In 1969–1970–at the start of “Vietnamization”– a small, exposed rise south of Da Nang became one of the most contested observation posts in I Corps. Known simply as Hill 119, it overlooked the Thu Bon River Basin and Go Noi Island — terrain Marines called “Indian Country.” From this barren patch of ground, rotating platoons of Recon Marines watched, reported, called artillery, and launched patrols...

At 104 years old, WWII Army veteran James Wheeler is one of the last surviving American tankers to witness firsthand the brutal Battle of Okinawa. A member of Company C, 193rd Tank Battalion, Wheeler fought in one of the most punishing armored campaigns of the Pacific War, where American Sherman tanks were sent headlong into the deadly defenses of the Japanese Shuri Line. In April 1945, the 193rd...

In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam launched the massive Easter Offensive, a conventional invasion that nearly broke South Vietnam. The response: Operation Linebacker I—a sustained U.S. air campaign that reshaped the battlefield and helped halt the advance. Join the Veterans Breakfast Club (VBC) for a powerful live conversation on this pivotal moment in the Vietnam War. Our guest, Brian Harrison,...

Join VBC LIVE on Thursday, May 7 at 7PM (ET) for a conversation with World War II Marine veteran Neal McCallum, who fought in the Battle of Okinawa 81 years ago. At just 18 years old, McCallum landed on Okinawa with Fox Company, 29th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division, part of the massive U.S. invasion force that stormed the island on Easter Sunday April 1, 1945y. He served as an infantryman in...

[00:00 - 01:10] Introduction and Welcome Hosts Shaun, Todd, and Glenn welcome viewers. Overview of the Veterans Breakfast Club mission: creating communities of listening around veterans and their stories. Invitation to join live Zoom sessions and watch on Facebook or YouTube. [01:10 - 06:40] Upcoming Events and Programs Announcement of Thursday night’s "Greatest Generation Live" focusing on World...

Join us for a remarkable evening with World War II veteran Richard “Dick” Inlow, a 101-year-old Navy Seabee who served in the Pacific. Drafted out of high school and sent to a Seabee battalion, Dick didn’t even know what a Seabee was—just that the Navy put him on a train and sent him where he was needed. Before long, he found himself landing in the first wave at Peleliu, supporting the Marines und...

What happens between the battlefield and home? Aeromedical, an Emmy Award–winning documentary by Rebecca Abbott and Tim Malloy, takes you inside U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation missions that move wounded service members from combat zones to advanced care—often within hours, and sometimes back to the United States within days. Filmed in Afghanistan, Germany, and the U.S., the documentary capt...

Retired Navy Captain and author David E. Grogan joins us to discuss his book Learning to Live from Those Willing to Die, a collection of life lessons drawn from the lived experiences of American veterans. Grogan, a former international and operational attorney for the U.S. Navy, has spent years listening closely to those who served. The result is a book that not only describes twenty-six veterans’...

On Monday, April 13 at 7pm ET, VBC Live welcomes national leaders of Vietnam Veterans of America for a candid and timely discussion about the organization’s future. Joining us are Thomas Burke, National President; Dominick Yezzo, National General Counsel; and James McCormick, Executive Director for Government Affairs. Nearly five decades after its founding, VVA faces a generational turning point....

We invite all Persian Gulf War veterans to join us and share their stories. After our recent VBC Live conversation marking Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990–1991), we heard from many of you: Thank you for doing this. I don’t often get to speak about it. People forget we were there. The First Gulf War often slips between the memory of Vietnam and the long shadow of 9/11. So on Monday, April 6, w...

We welcome Major Cyla Srna of the Texas State Guard, who will tell us about her Marine Corps service as an Aviation Structural Mechanic and her decision to join Texas’s State Defense Force, where she’s served for the past 12 years. Cyla is also an advocate for women veterans. In 2020, she agreed to enter the Ms. Veteran America competition in order to call attention to the problem of women veteran...

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present. We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a quest...

We welcome Army intelligence veteran Bethany Redmond to share her story. She didn’t grow up aiming for the military. She was a language and humanities student from Los Alamos, New Mexico — not the stereotypical path into national security — until an Army recruiter’s call at the end of high school nudged her into service. From there she found herself in Army intelligence, where listening, pattern r...