Seventy-five years ago, on June 25, 1950, North Korean forces launched a surprise invasion across the 38th parallel into South Korea, setting off a brutal and complex conflict that would last three years, claim millions of lives, and shape the Cold War. The Korean War—often called the “Forgotten War”—began with tanks rolling into Seoul at dawn and ended with a hard-fought armistice that still holds today.

To mark this important anniversary, the Veterans Breakfast Club is honored to host a special livestream conversation with Ryan Walkowski, military history researcher and author of the forthcoming Combat in Korea: Eighteen Veterans Remember the War. Joining Ryan will be several Korean War veterans he interviewed for the book—men who fought in the harsh winters and rugged mountains of the Korean Peninsula and who carry vivid memories of that distant, often overlooked war.

Walkowski, whose grandfather served in Korea, has traveled the country collecting stories from veterans of all branches. His mission is simple: to make sure these stories are heard and remembered. The result is a remarkable oral history project that captures the grit, sacrifice, and humanity of those who served in Korea between 1950 and 1953.

This VBC program will bring those voices to life. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of combat, survival, and camaraderie from veterans who were there—at the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, Chosin Reservoir, and the 38th Parallel. You’ll also hear from Walkowski about why he took on this project and how these veterans’ stories shed new light on a war that deserves far more attention.

Join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738

As always, we invite viewers to participate, ask questions, and share reflections as we remember the war that began 75 years ago and the veterans who lived it.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club on Thursday, June 26 at 7:00pm ET for a powerful Greatest Generation Liveconversation exploring the often-overlooked legacy of World War II: the emotional wounds carried home by veterans and the lasting impact on their families. This free, virtual event will be held on Zoom and streamed to YouTube and Facebook.

Our featured guests are Carol Schultz Vento, daughter of 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper Arthur “Dutch” Schultz, and Susan Friedenberg, daughter of Army medic and D-Day veteran Bernie Friedenberg. Both men served heroically in WWII, both returned home deeply changed by their experiences, and both left lasting imprints on their families.

Carol Schultz Vento is the author of The Hidden Legacy of World War II: A Daughter’s Journey of Discovery, a moving memoir that weaves historical research with personal reflection. Her father, Dutch Schultz, jumped into Normandy on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne and later appeared as himself in the film The Longest Day. Though celebrated for his bravery, Dutch struggled with undiagnosed PTSD throughout his life—a condition that shaped Carol’s upbringing and ultimately led her to uncover his wartime past and her family’s hidden story. Carol’s forthcoming memoir, Twisted Strands: Family Secrets and Intergenerational Trauma, offers an intimate look at how war’s psychological toll can echo through generations.

Joining Carol is Susan Friedenberg, whose father Bernie Friedenberg landed on Omaha Beach as a combat medic and treated the wounded under relentless fire. A Jewish-American war hero who later helped liberate concentration camps, Bernie lived with the psychological burden of his service for the rest of his life. His story is commemorated in a new Atlantic City memorial and honored on the website berniefriedenbergworldwariimemorial.com.

This event promises to be a candid, emotional, and enlightening conversation about courage, trauma, and the enduring bonds between veterans and their children.

🔗 Join on Zoom
📺 Watch on YouTube
🌐 Learn more: veteransbreakfastclub.org

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

For the first time in our Veterans Breakfast Club history, we’re shining a spotlight on an essential but often invisible force in America’s recent wars: military contractors. Join us for this important livestream conversation with Ron Farina, Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and author of Out of the Shadows, and a panel of former contractors who served alongside U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other combat zones under Department of Defense contracts.

We also welcome Rob Kugler, a Marine Corps veteran, whose brother, Mike, served as a military contractor and was killed in Iraq in 2007. This profound loss propelled Rob into a mission of healing and storytelling. In his memoir, A Dog Named Beautiful, Rob chronicles his cross-country journey with his three-legged chocolate lab, Bella. This heartfelt narrative captures the essence of love, loss, and the road to recovery. Through his travels, Rob found solace and a renewed purpose, connecting with countless individuals and sharing stories that underscore the human cost of war.

Since the beginning of the post-9/11 wars, private contractors have been central to U.S. military operations. In fact, by 2011, the number of military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan surpassed the number of uniformed personnel. By 2019, that ratio had grown to 1.5:1, with contractors making up more than 60% of the Department of Defense workforce in Afghanistan. As of 2008, nearly 200,000 contractors supported the mission in Iraq—30,000 of them armed security contractors, forming what was effectively the second-largest armed force in the country.

From logistics and food service to intelligence gathering and armed convoy security, civilian contractors have taken on roles once reserved for military professionals. As the wars expanded, so too did the “Camo Economy”—a vast network of military contractors whose operations, casualties, and costs are often hidden from public scrutiny.

This growing reliance on civilian contractors raises fundamental questions:

• Are contractors part of the military profession?

• Do they share the same code of conduct, sense of duty, and social obligation?

• How do they view their roles—and how do traditional military personnel view them?

Research shows that many contractors come from law enforcement or prior military backgrounds, but often operate with different motivations, typically driven more by economic incentives than by the vocational calling traditionally associated with military service. Their training and operational directives are frequently dictated by government contracts, but they exist outside the chain of command and military legal structure. This “securitized management of violence” blurs the line between soldier and mercenary—and challenges long-held notions of military professionalism.

Despite their integral role, contractors often return home to no welcome, no resources, and no community. They lack access to VA services, often receive no formal recognition, and are largely absent from public memory. As Ron Farina emphasizes in his work, these “invisible warriors” bear many of the same wounds as veterans—PTSD, moral injury, survivor’s guilt—but without the support structure uniformed veterans rely on.

This program will feature the voices of those contractors. They’ll speak about their motivations, missions, relationships with military personnel, and the personal struggles they’ve faced in service and upon returning home. We’ll also discuss the broader ethical, legal, and economic implications of America’s unprecedented reliance on private military firms—some of which now rival the defense budgets of small nations.

Let’s give voice to those who served without a uniform but with no less courage, commitment, and consequence.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation on Monday, June 9, 2025, at 7:00pm ET. This online event, part of our ongoing VBC Open Conversation series, invites veterans from all eras of service—as well as families, friends, and supporters—to come together and share stories, memories, and insights about the military experience, past and present. The program will be held on Zoom and streamed live to Facebook and YouTube.

We encourage you to join us directly on Zoom for the most interactive experience. Simply click this link to participate: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738.

VBC Open Conversations are exactly what they sound like: unscripted, interactive gatherings where the agenda is shaped by those who attend. There are no formal presentations or set topics—just real people sharing real experiences. Whether it’s swapping boot camp stories, discussing combat tours, reflecting on the transition to civilian life, or exploring current issues facing today’s military and veteran communities, these conversations cover it all.

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!

Army Rangers in World War II – A Veterans Breakfast Club Live Conversation
📅 Wednesday, July 10, 2025
🕖 7:00pm – 8:30pm ET
📍 Online at veteransbreakfastclub.org/events/online-events

The Veterans Breakfast Club invites you to an in-depth 90-minute livestream event on Wednesday, July 10 at 7:00pm ET, focused on one of the most legendary fighting forces of World War II: the U.S. Army Rangers.

Host Glenn Flickinger will lead a conversation with two of the leading experts on Army Ranger history—David Hogan Jr. and Mir Bahmanyar—as they delve deep into the Rangers’ origins, missions, and enduring legacy.

The U.S. Army Rangers were born in 1942 out of the need for agile, highly trained soldiers capable of rapid deployment and specialized operations. Inspired by British Commandos, the Rangers spearheaded some of the most difficult and dangerous missions of the war. They climbed the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day, raided Italian strongholds at Cisterna, and faced annihilation and triumph in equal measure.

Who were these men? What distinguished their training, tactics, and culture from conventional forces? And how did their experience shape the future of U.S. special operations?

These questions and more will be explored by:

🔹 David Hogan Jr. – A distinguished military historian and senior historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History. Author of Raiders or Elite Infantry? The Changing Role of the U.S. Army Rangers from Dieppe to Grenada, Hogan brings a deep archival and analytical perspective to the evolution of Ranger forces. Read more: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/author/david-hogan

🔹 Mir Bahmanyar – A former U.S. Army Ranger turned historian and author of Shadow Warriors: A History of the US Army Rangers. Bahmanyar combines lived experience with scholarly insight and has served as a historical consultant for film and television. Learn more: https://www.mirbahmanyar.com/about

Join us for an evening of rich storytelling, expert analysis, and interactive discussion. Whether you’re a military history buff, a student of World War II, or just curious about America’s elite forces, this program will offer unparalleled insight into the formation and legacy of the Army Rangers.

🔗 Watch live and join the conversation at:
👉 https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/events/online-events

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We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!