At the Veterans Breakfast Club,
Stories Unite Us.
Check out our upcoming in-person veterans storytelling event schedule below. All are welcome to join us!
The VBC and the Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center are holding a special Vietnam Veterans Day Event on March 29, 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
The event will be held in-person at the Heinz History Center and will also be available online on Facebook and YouTube
This free Vietnam Veterans Day event will honor and recognize all veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of duty location.
Non-Veterans are especially welcome to attend and pay tribute to our Vietnam Veterans, hear their stories of service, and thank them for blazing the trail for every serviceman and woman who came after them.
The event will include the presentation of colors by the Vietnam Veterans, Inc., Color Guard and recognition and pinning of our Vietnam-era veterans.
Speakers will include Linh Nguyen, who escaped Saigon in April 1975 and Judge Michael McCarthy, who served in Vietnam as a Navy Seabee in 1970-1971. The evening’s special honoree will be Vietnam Army Combat Medic Ted Debiak who lost his left arm in an artillery attack on December 25, 1967. But the attack was friendly. It was an errant American shell that struck his tent on Christmas Day. It took until 2023 for Ted to receive a Purple Heart on his DD-214. At our event, Brigadier General John Pippy will present Ted with his Purple Heart.
Every Vietnam Veteran registered for this event will receive a gift bag as a token of our gratitude for your service.
We also want to recognize Red Cross Volunteers and Donut Dollies who served with the U.S. Armed Forces between 1955-1975. They deserved to be honored with a Welcome Home Bag also!
For those who will be joining us virtually, the gift bag will be shipped to the home address provided.
Register for the event here Register for the event here .
Thank you to our sponsors!
Sponsorship Opportunities Available
We have a range of sponsorships available with speaking opportunities, social media logo placement, and vendor tables and signs. If you have ideas for sponsoring not covered in the information below, let us know.
Welcome Home Gift Bag
Now is your chance to say thank you to a Vietnam Veteran who did not get welcomed home 50 years ago.
Every Vietnam Veteran who attends online or in-person will receive a Welcome Home Gift Bag, either in person or in the mail.
Please consider sponsoring a Welcome Home Box for a Vietnam Veteran for $25. We can include a custom thank you note from you to the veteran.
Just click the button below and add a note that your donation is for a Vietnam Veteran Gift Bag.
Come to our live, in-person breakfast in Beaver, PA. We’ll have 6th grade students from a nearby elementary school in attendance, asking the veterans questions and getting an education from those who’ve served from WWII to the present.
These are some of the people you’ll meet and the stories you’ll hear!
We meet at Seven Oaks Country Club (132 Lisbon Rd, Beaver, 15009). You’ll walk in, pick up your name badge, pay $15 if you plan to eat (no cost for those who don’t), 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 Event Sponsors, Beaver Financial Group and VITAS Healthcare
In recognition of National Submarine Day on April 11 the Veterans Breakfast Club with Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center (1 Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15212) is holding a special event open to the public that will include a guided tour of the USS Requin (SS-481), a continental breakfast, and a storytelling program featuring US Navy submarine veterans.
Everyone is welcome to attend, but registration is required. The cost is $16 per person, which includes parking, admission to the Carnegie Science Center, the USS Requin tour, and the continental breakfast program event in the beautiful PointView Hall overlooking the river and city.
Please direct any questions to JoAnn at JoAnn@veteransbreakfastclub.org or 412-623-9029.
April 11 is celebrated as National Submarine Day, commemorating the anniversary of the United States Navy’s acceptance of its first modern submarine, the USS Holland (SS-1), in 1900.
Designed by John Philip Holland, the USS Holland marked a revolutionary moment in maritime warfare, fundamentally altering military strategy and the way nations approached naval conflicts. Today’s technologically advanced nuclear-powered submarines continue to reshape naval doctrines and strategies.
As the first practical submarine, the Holland introduced a new dimension to naval warfare by challenging the established surface-centric paradigm. This development forced naval strategists to reconsider their tactics, as submarines presented a stealthy and unpredictable threat.
Unlike surface ships, submarines could approach enemy vessels undetected, launching surprise attacks and disrupting traditional naval formations. This introduced an element of asymmetry to naval conflicts, as even the most powerful surface fleets were vulnerable to submarine attacks.
Submarines played a crucial role in both World Wars, significantly influencing the strategies of major powers. During World War I, German U-boats wreaked havoc on Allied shipping, effectively employing unrestricted submarine warfare. This strategy, though controversial, showcased the potential of submarines to disrupt supply lines and exert control over vital sea routes.
In World War II, advancements in submarine technology, such as improved torpedoes and increased underwater endurance, further enhanced their impact. The “Wolfpack” tactics employed by German U-boats, where multiple submarines coordinated attacks on convoys, became a formidable challenge for Allied forces. Conversely, the United States used submarines in the Pacific theater to isolate Japan by disrupting its maritime supply lines.
The Cold War brought about a new era of submarine development with the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines. These vessels could operate underwater for extended periods, reducing the need for frequent resurfacing and significantly increasing their range. Nuclear submarines also introduced ballistic missile capabilities, playing a critical role in the strategy of nuclear deterrence. The concept of strategic nuclear submarines, armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), shifted the balance of power and contributed to the policy of mutually assured destruction (MAD) during the Cold War.
Beyond their offensive capabilities, submarines evolved to become essential platforms for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. Their ability to remain undetected beneath the ocean’s surface allowed them to covertly monitor enemy activities, providing valuable information for military decision-makers.
Join us to hear stories from those who volunteered to serve in these remarkable boats, operating in confined spaces, facing the challenges of underwater navigation, and demonstrating the courage, cooperation, and know-how to keep the sub running on mission.
The Veterans Breakfast Club (VBC) is heading to Youngstown, OH, for a veterans storytelling event hosted by the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown and supported by the Thomases Family Endowment of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.
The lunch will be on Friday, April 12 from 11:30am-1;30pm at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown (505 Gypsy Lane, Youngstown, Ohio 44504). The event is open to the general public. Lunch will be served at 11:30am, and then the storytelling program will begin at 12:00pm noon.
Suggested donation is $10 per person
RSVPs are required due to limited space. RSVP to 412-623-9029 or JoAnn@veteransbreakfastclub.org
The Veterans Breakfast Club brings American history to life.
VBC programs provide veterans and members of the public the opportunity to listen and share their one-of-a-kind stories, while engaging with other local veterans.
Since 2008, VBC has served the local veteran community in the greater Pittsburgh area, hosting weekly local gatherings for veterans. In 2020, we transitioned to virtual programming and announced a national expansion of the organization, opening its programs to veterans around the country and world.
In addition to hosting two in-person events per month, VBC also holds a weekly program online, VBC Happy Hour, and publishes the quarterly VBC Magazine, the weekly VBC Bulletin e-newsletter, and a weekly podcast on military culture, The Scuttlebutt.
Join us in Bethel Park, PA, for a VBC storytelling event where you’ll meet a remarkable collection of people, each with a story to tell.
Our breakfast location in Bethel Park, PA, is our largest, where the group can reach over 250 people. Our veteran attendees range from WWII and Korean War through the Post-9/11 era. The program is fast-moving and wide-ranging with lots of participation. Everyone is welcome to join us.
We meet at Christ United Methodist Church (44 Highland Rd, Bethel Park 15102) in a large hall that also serves as a gym. We show photos of veterans on the three screens at the front and interact with as many veterans as we can. You’ll walk in, pick up your name badge, pay $15 if you plan to eat (no cost for those who don’t), 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, veterans share slices 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 event sponsors The Sheridan at Bethel Park, Home Matters Caregiving, and UPMC for Life!