VBC programs connect and heal,
educate and inspire.
Everyone is always welcome.
educate and inspire.
Everyone is always welcome.
The Veterans Breakfast Club (VBC) is the nation’s premier non-profit for connecting veterans with their fellow Americans through inspiring stories of service.
Our goal is to build a nation that understands and values the experiences of our military veterans so that every day is Veterans Day.
We do this by bringing together–in-person and online–men and women from all walks of life, all ages and eras, and every branch of service to talk about what they’ve seen and done. We want to hear how people’s military service has shaped them. “Every Veteran Has a Story” is our slogan. We want to hear every one.
We share the stories we hear in our weekly VBC Bulletin email newsletter and our quarterly VBC Magazine. We also record a weekly podcast, The Scuttlebutt, about military culture from the people who lived it.
We do all this because we believe the best way to thank a Veteran is to listen.
Listening is what the VBC has been doing for the past 15 years, when we held our first small event outside of Pittsburgh. Since then, we’ve held over 1,000 programs in-person and online and have welcomed over 20,000 different people at our events, Veterans and non-Veterans coming together to listen.
We value every veteran’s experience, no matter who they are or when or how they served. We’ve seen up close the power of storytelling, as the memories shared at VBC events connect, heal, educate, and inspire an ever-expanding circle of listeners.
At any given event, you might hear from the newest members of Space Force to a 101-year-old World War II veteran.
We’ve welcomed Tin Can Sailors and Montford Point Marines, Vietnam Sky Soldiers and Cold War intelligence officers. We’ve heard stories from the Horn of Africa to Antarctica, the Bering Sea to Diego Garcia, and all points in between.
LORAN Coast Guardsmen and Radar Station Airmen have told us about serving in some of the most remote places on earth.
Korean War veterans have borne witness to their “forgotten war.”
Other “forgotten warriors” shared their memories of Beirut, Grenada, and Mogadishu.
Some of the first women authorized for combat shared stories of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and of the Purple Hearts they received.
Join us at our events and help keep these stories alive.
All you need to do is listen.
Featured Stories
UPCOMING EVENTS
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
#ArmyRangers #WWII #VeteransBreakfastClub #MilitaryHistory #DavidHogan #MirBahmanyar #SpecialOperations #WWIIRangers #VBCOnline
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
PAST EVENTS
GET INVOLVED TODAY
The mission of the Veterans Breakfast Club is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories to ensure that this living history will never be forgotten. We believe that through our work, people will be connected, educated, healed, and inspired.
INTRODUCING THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT
Preserving veterans’ stories so that this living history is never forgotten.
We pair passionate VBC volunteers with military veterans for one-on-one oral history interviews over Zoom. If you are a veteran, or you know a veteran, who would be interested in sharing his or her story with us, let us know. If you are someone interested in conducting these interviews, please reach out!
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