Join the Veterans Breakfast Club and the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown for a lunch lecture with historian Todd DePastino about the history and meaning of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is uniquely American holiday with a fascinating history that stretches back to the Civil War, when huge casualties inspired widows and mothers to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Come hear about the origins of “Decoration Day” and how it became known as “Memorial Day.”

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!

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a FREE VBC breakfast at the Cranberry Elks Lodge #2249 on Friday, May 29 at 8:30am. Please RSVP for this free breakfast event by calling 412-623-9029 or emailing betty@veteransbreakfastclub.org.

Everyone is welcome, veterans and non-veterans alike, and breakfast will be provided free of charge courtesy of the Veterans Breakfast Club and our hosts at the Cranberry Elks Lodge #2249.

We’ll have our usual fast-moving and wide-ranging program with plenty of participation, stories, laughter, and conversation. Veterans of different eras and branches of service will share memories and reflections from their time in uniform—and often from life before and after service as well.

Breakfast begins at 8:30am. At 9:00am, we start the program. For the next 90 minutes, veterans share slices of their service experience. You never know what you’re going to hear, and there are always new faces and new stories around the table.

Please RSVP by calling 412-623-9029 or emailing betty@veteransbreakfastclub.org.

Event Details:
Friday, May 29, 2026
8:30am–10:30am
Cranberry Elks Lodge #2249
20720 Route 19
Cranberry Township, PA 16066

Thank you to our event sponsors: Aetna, HomeInstead, and VITAS!

Join us at Seven Oaks Country Club in Beaver, PA for a Veterans Breakfast Club storytelling breakfast on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, from 8:30–10:30am—a warm, come-as-you-are morning of coffee, buffet breakfast, and true stories of military service.

This year, every VBC event is now completely free and open to the public. That means no charge for breakfast. But we do need a reservation, so please let us know you’re coming. Then, take a seat among veterans, family members, and neighbors who want to listen, learn, and connect.

If you’ve never been to a VBC event, the format is simple: we gather for a casual meal, then veterans (of any era and any branch) share short, first-person stories—funny, tough, surprising, and often unforgettable. You don’t have to be a veteran to attend. And you don’t have to speak to belong. Some people come to tell a story they’ve carried for years; others come because they want to understand what service really means beyond the headlines.

Whether you’re a veteran, related to one, or simply grateful and curious, this is a morning to be in the same room together—good food, good company, and the kind of storytelling that sticks with you long after the plates are cleared.

RSVP by calling 412-623-9029 or emailing betty@veteransbreakfastclub.org. Please make sure to RSVP for events at least two days in advance.

The VBC is partnering with the Central Pennsylvania WWII Roundtable to welcome WWII 3rd Armored Division veteran Walter Stitt on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 7:00pm ET at American Legion Post 272 near Harrisburg, PA. This will be an in-person presentation at the post (5700 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA), open to the public. It will also be available on the Roundtable’s YouTube channel.  

What was it like to fight the German Army from inside a burning tank and live to tell about it not once, but three times?

Join us for a remarkable Veterans Breakfast Club livestream featuring WWII Army veteran Walter “Boston” Stitt, a corporal in the 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, who served as both a Sherman tank loader and gunner in the European Theater.

Stitt’s story is one of survival, grit, and quiet courage. He entered combat in 1944 as a teenage replacement and fought across France and Belgium, including the brutal fighting of the Battle of the Bulge. Over the course of the war, he survived the destruction of three separate Sherman tanks, was wounded twice, and earned two Purple Hearts.

In one harrowing episode, his tank was hit, killing crew members and trapping him inside. He escaped through the driver’s hatch as the tank caught fire—only to come under enemy fire again moments later.

Stitt’s experience captures the reality of armored warfare: close quarters, limited visibility, and the constant threat of catastrophic destruction. As he moved from loader to gunner across successive crews, each new tank brought fresh danger—and fewer guarantees of survival.

After the war, Stitt returned home, became a Lutheran minister, and decades later began to reflect more fully on what he had lived through. His memoir, Surviving Three Shermans: With the 3rd Armored Division into the Battle of the Bulge, reveals a powerful contrast: the reassuring letters he sent home during the war—and the far more dangerous truth he kept to himself.

The VBC is grateful to the Central PA WWII Roundtable for sharing this event with us. We’re two communities built around listening, learning, and keeping these stories in circulation.

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special screening of the new film Pressure, the gripping historical drama about the meteorologists, military planners, and impossible decisions behind the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

• Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
• Location: Phoenix Theatres Chartiers Valley Luxury 14(1025 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017)
• Admission: $15
• Seating is limited and advance registration is required.
• Registration: Register for the event here.

Set in the tense days leading up to June 6, 1944, Pressure explores one of the most consequential weather forecasts in modern history—the forecast that determined whether Operation Overlord would proceed or fail. The film brings to life the pressure, uncertainty, and human drama behind the Allied invasion that changed the course of World War II.

Before the film, VBC Executive Director and historian Todd DePastino and VBC host Glenn Flickinger will offer a brief historical introduction providing context on D-Day, the Allied planning effort, and the real-life figures portrayed in the movie. Following the screening, attendees are invited to stay for a 30–45 minute audience discussion and Q&A about the history behind the film, the accuracy of its portrayal, and the enduring significance of D-Day and military decision-making under extreme pressure.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast, veteran, film lover, or simply curious about the unseen story behind D-Day, this event offers a unique opportunity to experience Pressure with historical context and community conversation.

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 betty@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!