At the Veterans Breakfast Club,
Stories Unite Us.
Check out our online & in-person veterans storytelling programs and see our full event schedule below. All are welcome to join us!
Millions of viewers know NCIS as one of television’s most successful dramas. But what is the real Naval Criminal Investigative Service—and how closely does the show reflect it?
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a fascinating conversation with Leon Carroll Jr., Marine veteran, retired NCIS Special Agent, bestselling author, and the longtime technical advisor to the hit CBS series NCIS.
After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Carroll spent more than twenty years investigating crimes involving the Navy and Marine Corps before helping bring the world of military criminal investigations to television audiences around the globe.
Leon will share stories from his career, explain what NCIS agents actually do, and pull back the curtain on more than two decades behind the scenes of one of America’s most enduring TV shows. How much of NCIS is real? Which details matter most? What does Hollywood get right—and what can never quite capture the reality of military investigations?
We’ll also discuss Carroll’s work as co-author, with actor Mark Harmon, of the bestselling books Ghosts of Honolulu and Ghosts of Sicily, which uncover remarkable true stories of Naval Intelligence, espionage, and World War II.
Whether you’re a veteran, an NCIS fan, a military history enthusiast, or simply curious about the intersection of military service, criminal investigation, and popular culture, this promises to be an engaging evening of stories and conversation.
Bring your questions—and join us live.
We’re grateful to our sponsor, Claim Raven, and encourage anyone building a VA Claim to check them out!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club and the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown for a lunch lecture with historian Todd DePastino about the meaning of the American Revolution and how the Declaration changed America from a world where ordinary people bowed to their “betters” to one founded on the radical idea that “all men are created equal.”
Todd DePastino is founder and executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club and author of the award-winning Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front and six other books. A dynamic speaker with a Ph.D. in history from Yale, Todd has a gift for making the past come alive with insight, humor, and humanity.
This event is free and open to the public.
You don’t need to be a veteran to attend. Lunch is included.
We’d appreciate your RSVP and a suggested donation of $10 per person.
To RSVP, contact:
JCC Youngstown: 330-746-3250 ext #106 or bwilson@jewishyoungstown.org
Veterans Breakfast Club: 412-623-9029 or JoAnn@veteransbreakfastclub.org
The Veterans Breakfast Club brings American history to life. Join us to listen and learn, connect and heal, and say thank you to those who’ve served.
Thank you to the Youngstown JCC and the Thomases Family Endowment for Supporting this Event!
The Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 helped trigger the collapse of Benito Mussolini’s government and, within weeks, Italy’s surrender to the Allies. But the surrender of Italy did not mean the end of the war there. German forces quickly moved to occupy key areas of the country and began a determined defense that would turn the Italian Campaign into one of the longest and hardest-fought campaigns in Western Europe.
Military historian Colin Heaton joins Veterans Breakfast Club to examine German military strategy in Sicily and Italy in 1943–1944. What did German leaders hope to accomplish as the Allies pushed onto the Italian mainland? How did their strategy change after Italy left the Axis? And how did disagreements among senior German commanders shape the defense of the peninsula?
We’ll look at the men who developed and carried out that strategy—from senior commanders such as Albert Kesselring to the army, corps, and division commanders fighting on the ground—and explore how German tactical decisions affected major battles including Salerno, Monte Cassino, and Anzio.
We’ll also ask why German forces, despite repeatedly slowing and frustrating the Allied advance, ultimately could not hold Italy.
Join us for a close look at command, strategy, and battlefield decision-making in the German defense of Italy during World War II.
Join us at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on Monday, October 12, from 8:30am-10:30am for a morning of breakfast and veterans sharing stories. You don’t need to be a veteran to attend.
What: Veterans Storytelling Breakfast, FREE and open to the public, courtesy of Montgomery County Community College Veterans Club and Montgomery County Department of Veterans Affairs
Where: Montgomery County Community College (340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422) College Hall (park in Morris Road Lot, see map below. Handicap parking at College Hall)
When: Monday, October 12, from 8:30am-10:30am.
How to RSVP: Leave your name and names of those in your party and a phone number to: 412-623-9029 or JoAnn@veteransbreakfastclub.org
The Veterans Breakfast Club brings American history to life. Join us to listen and learn, connect and heal, and say thank you to those who’ve served. You don’t need to be a veteran to attend.
Where else, but at the Veterans Breakfast Club, can you gather for a casual meal and meet a 101-year-old Navy WAVE codebreaker from World War II, a Silver Star recipient from Vietnam, and a Top Gun F-18 pilot all at the same time?
The Veterans Breakfast Club has been bringing these people and more together for face-to-face storytelling events since 2008. People come to listen and learn, connect and heal, and say thank you to those who’ve served.
These breakfasts began informally in 2008 with some 30 World War II veterans. They grew to give our organization its name and serve as the flagship for a growing array of storytelling programs where veterans of all eras and branches of service could share their experiences with the public. Most of these in-person events are held in the Pittsburgh region, but we’re branching out to other locations to reach more veterans and hear more stories. One week we might might be in a VFW hall, then next week a country club or a banquet room.
We serve breakfast at 8:30am, start the program at 9:00am, and bounce around the room with the microphone until 10:30am listening to as many veterans as we can. You never know what you’re going to hear. There are often a few tears, and always a lot of laughter. Join our community of listening by coming to one of our face-to-face storytelling events!
Come to our live, in-person breakfast in Sewickley, PA.
We meet at Christ Church Grove Farm (249 Duff Rd, Sewickley, PA 15143). You’ll walk in, pick up your name badge, and meet others who are there to hear and share the stories. Breakfast is served at 8:30am. At 9:00am, we start the program. For the next 90 minutes, we circulate the room with the microphone and have veterans share a slice of their service experience. You never know what you’re going to hear, and there’s always new people with new memories to offer.
RSVP by calling 412-623-9029 or emailing joann@veteransbreakfastclub.org. Please make sure to RSVP for events at least two days in advance. We understand that your schedule can change quickly, but advance notice of attendance always helps us and our venues prepare the program. Thank you!
Thank you to our sponsors!
Join us for our first ever Chess With Vets event! VBC has partnered with Pittsburgh Chess Club to invite chess enthusiasts as well as the novice player who is ready to dig in and learn.
Registration is strongly requested due to limited space. Please register in advance to reserve your spot.
REGISTER HERE NOW
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time: 2:00–3:30 PM
Location: Veterans Breakfast Club Welcome Center
5850 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
VBC Welcome Center Parking Information
