We are saddened to share the news that Nancy Cochran, who worked with the Veterans Breakfast Club in development and fundraising, died unexpectedly on October 28, 2026, while traveling with us in Italy. Nancy joined the VBC last year and brought a bright energy heart-filled passion to her work. We were grateful for her
By Todd DePastino One of our great VBC WWII veterans, George B. Mason, passed away October 25, 2026, at the age of 102. Those who attended our recent breakfasts in Beaver County may remember George telling stories about the war. One of the most memorable was his certainty that he would never come home.
By Todd DePastino Our Italian tour manager, Riccardo, smiled and shook his head “no” when I asked him if any tour groups ever requested a trip to crumbling ruins of an abandoned tobacco processing plant outside Salerno. The old Tobacco Factory, near the tiny town of Eboli, is not exactly a tourist attraction. There
By Todd DePastino Today was the first full day of our VBC World War II Tour of Italy, and we made a little history of our own by becoming quite possibly the first American tourist group ever to stop beneath a garbage-strewn bridge to visit an obscure but important World War II battlefield. Our
Le Ly Hayslip, the Vietnamese-American author, humanitarian, and friend of the Veterans Breakfast Club, invites veterans and others touched by the Vietnam War to a free gathering of remembrance, healing, and reconciliation. By Todd DePastino Le Ly Hayslip had as traumatic a war experience as imaginable. Yet, instead of trying to put t behind
By Todd DePastino Did you serve in the U.S. Army's 3rd Armored Division? A Cold War veteran, author, and member of the division's veterans association is looking to reconnect with former Spearheaders from World War II through Desert Storm. From 1968 to 1970, Bill Fortin served in the U.S. Army's 3rd Armored Division in
