American Veterans Center

November 5, 2010: Four of Major League Baseball's greatest players gathered at Nationals Park to be honored for their service in World War II. American Veterans Center President James C. Roberts, center-right, presented Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra, center-left, with the 2010 Audie Murphy Award for his Navy service. Also attending was pitcher Lou Brissie, left, second baseman Jerry Coleman, center, and outfielder John "Mule" Miles, right.

The American Veterans Center is a non-profit Veterans organization and division of the American Studies Center. The mission of the American Veterans Center is to "preserve and promote the legacy of America’s servicemen and women from World War II through Operation Iraqi Freedom." The American Studies Center has funded numerous events and projects at the American Veterans Center such as; the National Memorial Day Parade, the Annual Veterans Day weekend conference and awards banquet, a quarterly publication (American Valor Quarterly), two different hour-long radio programs (Veterans Chronicles and Proudly We Hail), Wounded Warrior dinners and receptions for veterans recovering at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospitals, The Andrew J. Goodpaster Lecture, and the conducting of oral history interviews of veterans from all conflicts and archiving their self-published books and journals, photographs, maps, and supplies.

History

The American Veterans Center is an outgrowth of the World War II Veterans Committee which itself grew out of World War II Chronicles, a weekly radio series co-produced by Radio America (another project of the American Studies Center) and the national Archives. The World War II Veterans Committee was founded in 1996 and was responsible for several activities and projects including an annual Chesty Puller Award and an Audie Murphy Award.[1] The Committee’s motto was "From the Greatest Generation to the Latest Generation", and most of their activities focused on educating America's youth about the legacy of the WWII generation.

In 2005, the National Vietnam Veterans Committee was formed to pursue a parallel education mission for America's Vietnam veterans, and in 2006 both organizations were combined under the umbrella of the American Veterans Center, with the mission of honoring the service of all America's Veterans "From World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom," as well as active duty personnel.

Since the Combination of the two committees in 2006 the American Veterans Center has seen significant growth and has produced and sponsored numerous events and panels including the 2008 erection of a baseball field on Guam in honor of the fallen WWII Marine on Iwo Jima and former star athlete and baseball pitcher Jimmy Trimble (James Trimble III) of St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.[2]

National Memorial Day Parade

National Memorial Day Parade Logo

The National Memorial Day Parade[3] is held annually in Washington DC, and has been a popular destination for thousands of Americans to come together and honor the men and women who have served in uniform from the American Revolution to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and has sought to educate the public about the meaning of this hallowed day.

For nearly 70 years, Washington, DC was without a parade on Memorial day. This despite the fact that parades on Memorial Day have been a tradition in towns across America for well over a century. In 2005, the American Veterans Center created the National Memorial Day Parade. This has quickly become an event for the entire country and a major parade, which draws mainstream media attention and Hollywood stars to participate in honoring those who have served, and died in American Military Service. The National Memorial Day Parade has become an event in which Americans of all ages and generations can participate. In only its second year, the parade drew over 250,000 spectators and significant national media attention. The parade includes nearly 200 elements, including marching bands, active duty and retired military units, youth groups, parade floats, as well as hundreds of veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Each year the parade highlights a branch of the Armed Services. The 2009 parade will highlight the Navy and will feature Ernest Borgnine, Lee Greenwood and Gary Sinise as Honorary Marshals.

Distinguished Participants include

American Veterans Conference

Since 1998 the World War II Veterans Committee,[4] and now the American Veterans Center, has brought together some of America’s most distinguished veterans for an annual conference held over Veterans Day weekend, at which they share their experiences with an audience of several hundred high school and college students, as well as fellow veterans and members of the public.

The conference has been televised live on C-Span and covered by the national media. In addition, the conference features wreath-laying ceremonies at Washington D.C. war memorials, private receptions for attendees with the veterans, and the annual awards banquet which honors the valor of American veterans From World War II, Korea, and Vietnam all the way to Iraq and Afghanistan. The American Veterans Center’s mission with the annual conference is to present American's with educational opportunities to learn, first-hand, from some of America's greatest heroes.

Distinguished Participants Include

Forms of Media

The American Veterans Center is involved in several different forms of media and outreach; this includes Radio, Television, Video, and Print. You can listen live[5] on the internet for free to both of the Veteran Center's radio programs ("Veterans Chronicles" and "Proudly We Hail")and can download the podcasts[6] of "Veterans Chronicles" at any time. The American Veterans Center has just recently launched its own YouTube Channel[7] where you can watch all the conference videos and event clips and can watch parade clips from all the past years. They also produce a quarterly magazine called "American Valor Quarterly",[8] which can also be read online. Many of the American Veterans Center's events are broadcast live on television and covered by national print and online media. By constantly adapting to changes in media the American Veterans Center has put themselves at the forefront of Veterans organizations in America.

References

  1. ↑ "WWII Veterans Honored". The Washington Times. November 30, 2005. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Legacy of Jimmy Trible". espn.go.com. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "nationalmemorialdayparade.com".
  4. ↑ http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/AVC_conference.html
  5. ↑ "Radio America Audio".
  6. ↑ "Radio America Podcast".
  7. ↑ "avcvideos". YouTube.
  8. ↑ http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/AVC_publications.html

External links