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 sponsor Chartiers Bend and Encompass Health!

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. On the left is Thomas Sizemore, who served as a radioman on a B-17 in World War II. At a recent Seven Oaks breakfast, he shared this story:

In December 3rd, 1944, during training at Drew Field in Tampa, Florida, our crew stood out. Chosen from B-17 crews nationwide, we were assigned a unique task: fly a brand new B-17 bomber to Stewart Air Force Base in West Point, New York for an upcoming air show.

We picked up our shiny new B-17 at Hunter Field in Savannah, Georgia and flew it to Stewart Air Force Base for the weekend’s show. After the successful event, on December 11th, we initiated the return journey.

Leaving Stewart Air Force Base, we encountered harsh weather along the east coast—torrential rain, gusty winds, and thick clouds. Navigating through these challenges, visibility dropped as we approached Philadelphia.

Amid the adverse conditions, our pilot focused on visual navigation, turning to instruments when necessary. We contacted Air Traffic Control and were directed to ascend to 6,000 feet for a landing plan in Washington, D.C. However, worsening weather led to an airspace closure south of Washington, forcing us to divert and prepare for an overnight halt.

Approaching the Washington area, intermittent breaks in the cloud cover revealed familiar landmarks to me, a native of the region. Through these openings, I saw was the Washington Monument just off our left wing tip. The top of the monument was just above our altitude. We flew at just 500 feet over the Capitol and right down the Mall between the White House and the Washington Monument, restricted air space. I guess because of the low clouds, no one on the ground saw us. But they definitely heard our engines roaring.

Our pilot was ordered to report to the operations office immediately after we landed. It turns out that National was closed to military aircraft, and we were in serious violation. Our pilot got a real chewing out and was told to “get that B-17 off the airport before some General sees it.”

Undeterred by the challenging conditions, we departed National Airport despite heavy rain, strong winds, and low visibility. Without retracting the landing gear, we made an unconventional landing at Bolling Field across the Potomac River. Spending the night there, we resumed our journey the following day, en route to Hunter Field, Savannah.

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 Sponsor, Advocate Health Advisors

We’re back with a breakfast in Washington County at the Chartiers Township Community Center (2013 Community Center Drive, Houston, PA 15342) on Wednesday, October 11, 8:30am-9:30am.

Our last event there was before the pandemic, and this breakfast is, again, brought to us by the volunteers at the Canonsburg First United Methodist Church, led by Vietnam Veteran Ron Worstell. The breakfast will be made and served by the volunteers, and the Veterans Breakfast Club will ask for a $10 donation from those attending.

The breakfast will be served at 8:30am and the program will begin at 9:00am. We’ll show photos of veterans on the three screens at the front and interact with as many veterans as we can. 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 consider sponsoring this event!

The Veterans Breakfast Club (VBC) is heading to New Jersey in October for a veterans storytelling event hosted by the Armed Forces Heritage Museum.

The event will be on Friday, October 20, 2023 from 8:30am-10:30am at the Town & Country Diner (177 US-130, Bordentown, NJ 08505). It is free of charge, open to the general public, and will include breakfast.

RSVPs are required due to limited space. RSVP to the Armed Forces Heritage Museum at 609-273-1004 or emailing rdutkosr@aol.com

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. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, VBC transitioned to virtual programming and announced a national expansion of the organization, opening its programs to veterans around the country and world.

“Our community grew so much during the pandemic, providing a space for more veterans from around the country and world to share their stories and connect with each other,” said Todd DePastino, founder and executive director of VBC.  “While we will continue to host virtual programs, we are also thrilled to reach new veterans in new locations. All veterans have a story to share, and we are honored to offer a platform for our veterans to connect, heal and inspire each other.”

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.

RSVPs are required, and the event will be capped at 60 people. Please make your reservation by emailing VBC Administrator Betty Karleski at betty@veteransbreakfastclub.org.

 About Veterans Breakfast Club

Founded in 2008, Veterans Breakfast Club is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to creating communities of listening around veterans and their stories to ensure that this living history will never be forgotten. VBC believes that through their work, people will be connected, educated, healed and inspired. Through weekly virtual programming, VBC offers a one-of-a-kind community that brings together veterans, their families and civilians to share, celebrate and preserve veterans’ stories. To learn more and join our community, visit veteransbreakfastclub.org

We’re back at Christ Church Grove Farm on Wednesday, October at 8:30am for our always fascinating, enjoyable, and poignant Veterans Breakfast Club in-person breakfast program.

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 sponsors, Dignity Memorial, Humana, and Sharek Law!