American Valor: Honoring Veterans Through Stories and Media

Honoring American Heroes

• 🇺🇸 The 28th annual conference by the American Veterans Center brought together heroes from the last 80 years of American military history to celebrate and honor their contributions.
• 💡 The event featured World War II veterans, many around 100 years old, alongside modern-day post-9/11 special operations veterans, sharing their experiences with military academy students.
• 🌟 The goal is to inspire future generations to serve by honoring those who came before, including figures like the last of the Marine Raiders, D-Day veterans, and Rosie the Riveters.

"American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes" Special

• 📺 The Emmy award-winning television special, "American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes," will air nationwide, offering Americans a chance to hear veteran stories.
• 💪 A highlight from the special is the story of 100-year-old Andrew Bosento, a WWII infantryman and Bronze Star recipient who became a bodybuilder after the war.
• 🌍 The special will also spotlight lesser-known stories, such as the evacuation of 100,000 North Korean refugees by Americans 75 years ago, which led to over a million South Koreans living in freedom today.

The American Veterans Center's Mission

• 🏛️ The American Veterans Center focuses on capturing and preserving veteran history through educational programs like the American Valor Conference and television special.
• 🗓️ They also organize the National Memorial Day parade in Washington D.C., the largest Memorial Day event in the country for the past 20 years.
• 💻 The center shares these first-person accounts through digital platforms, including a YouTube channel with a billion views and a million subscribers, and a significant presence on Facebook.

Humility and Shared Values

• 🤝 Tim Holbert, president of the American Veterans Center, notes that the most striking quality among veterans he has worked with over two decades is their humility.
• 🌟 Veterans consistently focus on the larger cause rather than personal achievements, reinforcing a belief in American values and the culture instilled by the military.