Written by John Duresky After we ran our VBC Magazine piece asking “When is V-J Day?” I heard from historian John Duresky, co-author (with David Britt) of Relentless Hope: A True Story of War and Survival about Bataan Death March survivor Chester Britt. John noticed the radio in our V-J Day photo from 1945
One of the great things of working with veterans and their families is hearing stories that don’t make it into textbooks. For those of us who care about history, these first-hand and second-hand memories present both a challenge and an opportunity. How do we preserve these stories of World War II as their tellers
Below is the story of Marvin C. Wolfe, a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company I. Marvin fought from D-Day through Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. In 2004, six years before he passed away, Marvin wrote his story down and also recorded it on
The VBC--and the world--lost one of its most beloved veterans ever to share his story with us. Jake Larson—decorated World War II veteran and unlikely social media star known to millions as “Papa Jake”—died peacefully at his home in the San Francisco Bay Area on July 17, 2025. He was 102. Jake joined us
Written by Brock Cornell Gold Star Wife and VBC Member Becky Nyren shared this extraordinary essay written by high school senior Brock Cornell. Brock had played in the annual Gold Star football games, where players wear the names of the fallen on their uniforms. Here is Becky's description: Brock Cornell, a Senior standout at
Vietnam veteran Bill Kapito passed along the letter below written by his uncle Pfc. William Silberman, who was killed in Italy on April 12, 1945. Silberman was a member of C Company, 168th Regiment, 34th Division, a unit that saw 517 days in combat in World War II. He had joined the unit in
