Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present.
Tonight, we will welcome several people with news, information, and stories to share. Among them:
Jeff and Shannon Arballo about their new documentary film The Mobile Riverine Force, which recently premiered aboard the USS Midway in San Diego and on KPBS San Diego on May 30th, Memorial Day. A DVD/BluRay combo will be available soon. Preorders are being taken at this link: https://arballoentertainment.com
Also joining us is John Mortimer, Jr., Historian for the US Army. He works for U.S. Army Center of Military History. Its mandate is to produce official Army histories, which are free for online reading, covering almost every aspect of past and present conflicts. It has over 80 publications, called the “green books,” covering strategy, operations, tactics, and enablers during the Vietnam War. Ten historians are working on Afghanistan and Iraq for the “tan book” series. And there are several shorter, 100-page books already published for this series. Here’s the link: https://history.army.mil/Publications/Publications-Catalog/Publications-by-Title/
We’ll also say hi to future guest, former Navy Surface Warfare Officer Rod Haynes, whose new book is Unauthorized Disclosures: A Navy Memoir of the 1980s. Kirkus calls it an “astute account of military life during the Reagan years.”
Finally, Brian McEhlheny a reporter who covers the U.S. military on Okinawa, Japan, for Stars and Stripes, will tell us about a huge 3D mapping project of the American section of the Peace Memorial Park on Okinawa. The project is to provide an interactive website for family members who cannot travel to Okinawa, so that they can find the names of their loved ones who were killed in the Battle of Okinawa. Brian will have Taku Ikemiyagi and Mr. Kaneto Fukuhara of the 3D mapping company, plus translator, Mr. Keishi Koja.
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 question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Todd DePastino at todd@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
This event is free and open to all. To join the conversation live on Zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738. Or tune in on Facebook or YouTube at 7:00pm ET on June 9. Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
