The American Veterans Center's 23rd Annual Conference
CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR GREATEST GENERATION
In association with the United States of America World War II 75th Commemoration
CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR GREATEST GENERATION
In association with the United States of America World War II 75th Commemoration
The Heroes of D-Day
The Heroes of D-Day
Two of the most decorated surviving veterans of D-Day join Tom Brokaw for the third episode of our series, "Conversations with Our Greatest Generation."
Made Possible with Support From:
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the American Veterans Center’s Annual Conference at the National Archives will move forward in a new form throughout the fall of 2020.
As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, this year’s 23rd Annual Conference will feature a series of online conversations between surviving heroes of World War II, notable military officers and media personalities as moderators, and students from military service academies & ROTC programs from across the country.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the AVC’s mission to connect our future leaders to the heroes who came before will live on in a new form, until we can all come together once more.
“We are delighted to hear that the AVC Conference and Valor will still be held this upcoming year, even in a virtual format. No matter if our cadets are in person attending these events, or watching virtually, we believe it’s a meaningful experience for them to be a part of ...would definitely like our detachment, Det 640 at Miami University, to be added to the list for participation.”
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28
MIDWAY AND BEYOND: THE NAVAL WAR IN THE PACIFIC
Featuring veterans of the Battle of Midway and the epic moments of the Naval War in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Participants include:
Ed Fox – U.S. Marine Corps machine gunner based on Midway Atoll during the Battle of Midway.
Bill Norberg – Stationed onboard USS Enterprise from the first day of WWII until the last, serving under nine commanding officers.
Moderated by ADM Thomas Fargo – 20th Commander, United States Pacific Command
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
AMERICAN ICONS: THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN
Featuring combat pilots from the legendary unit of the first African American pilots in U.S. military history. Participants include:
Lt. Col. Harold Brown – Combat pilot of 30 missions, shot down over enemy territory on March 14, 1945.
Lt. Col. George Hardy – Combat pilot of 21 missions over Germany with the Red Tails; later flew 45 combat missions in Korea, and 70 combat missions in Vietnam.
Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson – Combat pilot, downed over France on his 19th mission; held POW in the Stalag Luft III camp.
Moderated by General Charles Q. Brown – 22nd and current Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
THE HEROES OF D-DAY
Featuring: Ray Lambert – U.S. Army medic, landing during the first wave at Omaha Beach. Previously decorated with a Silver Star and Purple Heart for service in North Africa and Sicily, Lambert was wounded immediately upon landing at Omaha Beach. He continued to tend to wounded soldiers, sheltering them behind a chunk of concrete that would become known as ‘Ray’s Rock,’ until wounded twice more and evacuated.
Major General John Raaen – Landed with the 5th Ranger Battalion on Omaha Beach, decorated with the Silver Star.
Moderated by Tom Brokaw – Acclaimed anchor of NBC Nightly News and author of the generation-defining book, The Greatest Generation.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
VALOR ON IWO JIMA
Featuring CWO4 Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams, the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the Pacific War in World War II.
Introduction from GEN Mark A. Milley – 20th and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
THE ‘SIX-TRIPLE-EIGHT’
Featuring veterans from the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only battalion of all-African American women to deploy to Britain and France during World War II. Participants include:
PL Len Derriecott Bell King • PFC Deloris Ruddock
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
LEGENDS OF THE AIR
Featuring: Lt. Col. James H. Harvey III – Pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group, flew on the team that won the military’s first ‘Top Gun’ contest in 1949. The first African American jet fighter pilot to fly in the Korean War.
Col. Joe Peterburs – ‘Ace’ pilot of 49 missions and 269 combat hours flying the P-51 during the Second World War. On April 10, 1945, he shot down the famous German ‘ace’ Walter Schuck, flying the ME-262, the first German jet flown in combat. Shortly after, he was shot down and taken prisoner, before escaping and joining up with the Russian Red Army, fighting with them at the Battle of Jitterbug and Wittenberg.
Moderated by Mike Rowe – Television host of ‘Dirty Jobs’, ‘Somebody’s Gotta Do It’ and podcast host of ‘The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe.’
Episode 1
Midway and Beyond: The Naval War in the Pacific
Episode 1
Midway and Beyond: The Naval War in the Pacific
Featuring veterans of the Battle of Midway and the epic moments of the Naval War in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Participants include Ed Fox, U.S. Marine Corps machine gunner based on Midway Atoll during the Battle of Midway, and Bill Norberg, stationed onboard USS Enterprise from the first day of WWII until the last, serving under nine commanding officers. Moderated by ADM Thomas Fargo, 20th Commander, United States Pacific Command.
Episode 2
The Tuskegee Airmen
Episode 2
The Tuskegee Airmen
Two combat fighter pilots of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen join Chief of Staff of the Air Force General C.Q. Brown in the second episode of 'Conversations with Our Greatest Generation.'