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!
Join us for another Veterans Breakfast Club storytelling event at Pitt-Greensburg. A FREE buffet breakfast will be served at 8:30am followed by veterans sharing stories with Todd DePastino emceeing.
There’s no charge for the event, but you must RSVP to: joann@veteransbreakfastclub.org or by calling 412-623-9029.
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg welcomes the Veterans Breakfast Club (VBC) to the Hempfield Township campus on Saturday, November 1. Doors open at 8:00am at the Hempfield Room (Chambers Hall, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 150 Finoli Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601), and breakfast will be served at 8:30am. Thanks to the support of sponsors, the event is free, and breakfast is included. Please register by emailing betty@veteransbreakfastclub.org or calling 412-623-9029.
You do not need to be a military member or a veteran to attend. All are welcome.
The VBC believes that every veteran has a story, no who they are—or when or how they served. There is power in storytelling. Stories connect, heal, educate, and inspire. Stories bridge the divides that separate us and benefit both the tellers and the listeners. The Veterans Breakfast Club harnesses the power of storytelling to build a nation that understands and values the experiences of our military veterans
RSVP by calling 412-623-9029 or emailing joann@veteransbreakfastclub.org.
Thank you to our event sponsor, UPMC for Life!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special Book Release Edition of VBC Live celebrating the publication of the new, updated edition of Consequences: An Intelligence Officer’s War by former Air Force counterintelligence officer David Grantham.
This event also marks the launch of VBC Books, the Veterans Breakfast Club’s new publishing imprint created in partnership with Blue Ear Books. We couldn’t imagine a more fitting first title.
In 2006, David Grantham entered Iraq as a young counterintelligence officer with the elite Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI). Fresh out of training, he found himself operating in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and eventually at Camp Bucca—the sprawling American detention facility that would later become known as the incubator of ISIS. His mission was not to fight on the front lines, but to gather intelligence, recruit sources, protect American forces, and understand an increasingly chaotic battlefield where every decision carried unforeseen consequences.
Written as narrative nonfiction, Consequences offers a rare, ground-level view of intelligence work during the Iraq War. Rather than focusing on secret gadgets or Hollywood-style espionage, Grantham reveals the patient, uncertain, and deeply human work of earning trust, weighing evidence, and making decisions when lives—and history—hang in the balance. Reviewers have praised the book for opening a window into a world few Americans ever see and for exploring how choices made during wartime can echo for decades.
During this special conversation, David will discuss:
- What counterintelligence officers actually do in wartime
- The hidden intelligence battle behind the Iraq War
- Camp Bucca, Iran’s growing influence, and the rise of ISIS
- The burden of making life-and-death decisions with incomplete information
- Why he decided to tell this story—and what he learned by writing it
We’ll also celebrate the beginning of VBC Books and discuss why preserving veterans’ stories in print remains one of the Veterans Breakfast Club’s most important missions.
Whether you’re interested in military history, intelligence, the Global War on Terror, or simply a remarkable personal story told with honesty and humility, this promises to be an unforgettable evening.
Come help us celebrate the launch of a new book—and a new chapter in the Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission to preserve, publish, and share veterans’ stories.
Pittsburgh Veterans Day Breakfast
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | 8:00–10:00 AM
Duquesne University Student Union Ballroom | Pittsburgh, PA
Join hundreds of veterans, family members, friends, and members of the community for the 28th Annual Pittsburgh Veterans Day Breakfast, the largest Veterans Day breakfast in Pennsylvania.
For the first time, the Veterans Breakfast Club (VBC) and Veterans Leadership Program (VLP) are joining together to host this great Pittsburgh tradition.
The morning will include breakfast, veterans’ stories, special guests and speakers, fellowship, and a Veterans Resource Fair connecting veterans and their families with organizations and services from across the region.
Veterans, family members, and members of the public are all welcome.
Veterans Day is a day to honor those who served, but this breakfast has always been about more than ceremony. It is about bringing veterans together, hearing their stories, connecting people with one another, and strengthening Pittsburgh’s veterans community.
This year, proceeds from the breakfast will benefit the Veterans Breakfast Club and Veterans Leadership Program, two Pittsburgh organizations dedicated to serving veterans and building stronger communities around them.
Tickets
Tickets have been reduced in price this year to $20 to encourage as many veterans, families, and community members as possible to attend. Register here.
A Pittsburgh Veterans Day Tradition Since 1998
The Pittsburgh Veterans Day Breakfast began on Veterans Day in 1998, when Vietnam veterans Tony Accamando, T.J. McGarvey, Dan Pulz, George D’Angelo and others with the newly formed Friends of Danang gathered supporters at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center. Their immediate purpose was charitable: Friends of Danang was raising money for humanitarian work in Vietnam, including projects benefiting children, schools, and communities in and around Danang.
That first breakfast started an annual tradition that grew into the largest Veterans Day events in Pennsylvania. Over the years, thousands have come to the event not simply for breakfast, but for camaraderie, recognition, and a chance to support good work in the veterans community.
The breakfast also became increasingly collaborative. Friends of Danang generously opened the event to other organizations and causes, including the Veterans Leadership Program, Shepherd’s Heart Veterans Home, the Duquesne University veterans scholarship program, World Vision International, and later Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans.
The Veterans Breakfast Club has been part of this tradition for the past 15 years. In 2011, the VBC started holding a WWII veterans’ storytelling event at the breakfast. VBC Executive Director Todd DePastino has served as the event emcee for the past several years.
This year, for the first time, the Veterans Breakfast Club and Veterans Leadership Program are partnering to host the Pittsburgh Veterans Day Breakfast, with proceeds benefiting both organizations.
We are grateful to Tony Accamando and Friends of Danang for creating this remarkable Pittsburgh institution and for sharing it so generously over the years. VBC and VLP are proud to carry it forward.
Our goal is simple: keep the tradition, broaden the community, and make Veterans Day a morning when veterans from every generation can come together to share stories, find resources, connect with community and celebrate their service.
More Than a Breakfast: Veterans Resource Fair
We also want the 2026 Pittsburgh Veterans Day Breakfast to be a place where veterans can find useful information and make connections.
Organizations serving veterans and military families will be invited to participate in a Veterans Resource Fair at Duquesne University. Veterans will be able to meet representatives from organizations working in areas such as health care, benefits, employment, housing, education, legal assistance, family services, recreation, and other veteran programs.
VBC has hosted similar large veterans resource gatherings in the past, and we want to bring that same spirit to Veterans Day: one room, hundreds of veterans, and many of the organizations that serve them gathered in one place.
Parking
Convenient parking is available at the Forbes Avenue Garage, directly across from the Student Union.
Forbes Avenue Garage
1180 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (click for directions)
Sponsorship Opportunities
2026 Pittsburgh Veterans Day Breakfast Sponsorships
Questions? betty@veteransbreakfastclub.org or call 412-623-9029.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special Veterans Day evening of food, fellowship, and storytelling at Saints John & Paul Church in Sewickley.
We’ll gather from 6:00–7:00pm for heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and conversation, followed at 7:00pm by a Veterans Breakfast Club storytelling program featuring veterans sharing their experiences of military service.
As always with the Veterans Breakfast Club, the emphasis will be on the stories: what veterans experienced, what they remember, and what they want others to understand about their service. Veterans of all eras, their families, and members of the community are welcome.
The event is free of charge, courtesy of the Saints John & Paul Veterans Committee.
Reservations are required. RSVP by calling 412-623-9029 or emailing JoAnn@veteransbreakfastclub.org.
Directions
Saints John & Paul is located at 2586 Wexford Bayne Road, Sewickley, PA 15143, near the Wexford/Franklin Park area. The event will be held in the Cardinal DiNardo Center (CDC) on the Saints John & Paul campus. Once you enter the church campus from Wexford Bayne Road, follow signs for the Cardinal DiNardo Center and event parking.
What: Veterans Breakfast Club Celebration
When: Saturday, November 14, 2026 | 8:00am – 12:00pm
Where: Sheraton Valley Forge | 480 North Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406
Who: Open to the Public | Veterans, Families & Friends Welcome
How much: FREE
Join us for a Veterans Breakfast Club storytelling breakfast on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 8:30–10:30am—a warm, come-as-you-are morning of coffee, buffet breakfast, and true stories of military service.
A Veterans Information Fair before and after breakfast will include veterans organizations, nonprofits, and service providers with information and materials for veterans and their families.
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 JoAnn@veteransbreakfastclub.org. Please make sure to RSVP for events at least two days in advance.
Schedule:
8:00 am – Doors open, coffee & mingling
8:30 am – Breakfast served
9:00 am – 10:30 am – Storytelling and keynote
10:30 am – 12:00 pm – Veteran Information Fair
We’ll also host over 20 resource tables from Veterans Service Organizations offering information, services, and giveaways. Come to listen and learn, connect and heal, and say thank you to those who’ve served.
Interested in sponsoring this event? Check out our sponsorship information:
Whether you’re a veteran, a family member, or someone who simply wants to hear real stories from extraordinary lives, you’re welcome to pull up a chair and join our community of listening.
RSVPs and questions: joann@veteransbreakfastclub.org or by calling 412-623-9029
Presented by the Veterans Breakfast Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bringing veterans together with the public to share stories since 2008.
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.
What happens when a group of young men enters U.S. Air Force pilot training at the dawn of the 1960s—and earns its wings just as the Cold War is entering one of its most dangerous periods?
On November 19, the Veterans Breakfast Club hosts a special two-hour virtual reunion of U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Class 62A, bringing together members of an extraordinary group of aviators whose careers would span the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and some of the most consequential chapters in modern Air Force history.
And this won’t be an ordinary panel discussion.
Thanks largely to the remarkable work of Shana Intille Wilcox, volunteer historian for Class 62A, we expect dozens of members of the class to join us online from around the country—perhaps 40 or more—for what will be part reunion, part oral history, and part aviation storytelling marathon.
Shana’s connection to the class is personal. Her father, Lt. Col. Michael Intille, was a member of 62A, and in 2021 his fellow pilots made her an honorary member of the class. Since then, she has helped document its history, preserve its stories, and keep alive the friendships formed more than six decades ago. Her work has helped make this unusual VBC gathering possible.
From Pilot Training to Vietnam and the Cold War
The men of Class 62A came from remarkably different backgrounds and trained at five different bases, progressing from civilian contract flying schools into advanced Air Force jet training. After earning their wings, they scattered across the Air Force and around the world.
Collectively, they flew an astonishing range of aircraft and missions: F-102 interceptors, F-4 Phantoms, F-105 Thunderchiefs, Wild Weasels, F-15s, F-16s, A-7s, C-123s, C-133s, C-141s, AC-130 gunships, O-1 Bird Dogs, HH-3 and HH-53 rescue helicopters, and more.
Their stories include combat over North Vietnam, desperate low-fuel landings, carrier operations, forward air control, airlift emergencies, gunship missions, search-and-rescue operations, and the experience of a classmate shot down and held as a prisoner of war for more than six years.
We’ll hear from pilots themselves as well as family members preserving the stories of classmates who have taken their final flight.
Among the stories we hope to explore:
- Col. Cliff Tatum, who flew the F-102, F-4, F-84F, and Navy A-7E and completed 152 carrier landings—including 52 at night—during the final carrier cruise of the Vietnam War.
- Col. David Tippett, a Vietnam combat veteran who flew the F-102, F-4, F-4 Wild Weasel, and F-16 and later commanded an F-16 wing.
- Col. Rod Gunn, recalling an F-4 mission over North Vietnam involving enemy defenses, a pursuing MiG-17, and a dangerously low-fuel return.
- Brig. Gen. Dan Sherlock, whose career took him from the F-102 and F-4 to the F-15 and F-16 and included more than 200 combat missions.
- The story of Col. Murphy Neal Jones, shot down in an F-105 and held as a POW for more than six years before returning home and resuming his Air Force flying career.
- Capt. Bob White, gravely wounded while flying an O-1 Bird Dog yet continuing to direct his aircraft’s return to base.
- Col. William “Bill” Kehler, whose five Vietnam combat tours ranged from C-123 airlift operations to AC-130 gunships.
- Col. Bob Horne, recounting a six-hour HH-53 rescue mission over Laos in 1969.
- Col. Bruce Ware, whose HH-3E crew rescued Charles Lindbergh and 45 others from an isolated jungle ridge in the Philippines in 1972.
- Col. John Attebury, whose 32-year Air Force career included Vietnam service and more than 20,000 flying hours. Now 91, he still builds and flies airplanes and helps fellow members of Class 62A remain in the air.
Shana will also share the story of her father, Lt. Col. Michael Intille, including a harrowing C-133 emergency and the larger story of how the U.S. Air Force gave a young man from South Philadelphia opportunities that would transform his life and his family for generations.
A Reunion More Than 60 Years in the Making
Perhaps the most remarkable story is Class 62A itself.
After training together as young men, its members scattered around the world. Yet the friendships endured. For the past two decades, classmates have gathered for reunions around the United States every two years, remembering those they have lost while maintaining bonds first forged in pilot training in 1960 and 1961.
This special two-hour Veterans Breakfast Club program will bring that reunion online. We’ll hear the featured stories, look at photographs and aircraft from the class’s history, invite other members of 62A to join the conversation, and take questions from our live audience.
It is a chance not simply to hear about Air Force history, but to hear it from the people who lived it—and to watch a remarkable group of old friends come together once again.
Join us for this special USAF Pilot Training Class 62A Virtual Reunion, November 19, live with the Veterans Breakfast Club.
