Glenn Flickinger and Todd DePastino discuss the VBC’s WWII Tour of Italy in October 2026, where they will spend 14 days following the path of the Allied forces through one of the most grueling campaigns of World War II. Todd and Glenn will also talk with Italian Campaign expert, 45th Infantry Division Historian Professor David D’Andrea, who will also be joining us on our trip.

We’ll trace the course of the Italian Campaign, beginning with Operation Husky, the massive Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 that opened the road to Europe’s soft underbelly. From the hard-fought landings at Gela and Scoglitti to the urban battles in Palermo and the mountainous defenses near Messina, Sicily tested the courage and coordination of American and British troops.

From there, the campaign moved to mainland Italy, first at Salerno, where American soldiers fought to hold their beachhead against fierce counterattacks, and then up the rugged spine of the Apennines. We’ll visit key battlegrounds of Cassino, where Allied forces waged a costly struggle for control of the ancient Abbey of Monte Cassino, and Anzio, where troops endured months of shelling in a desperate bid to outflank German defenses. The campaign culminated in the liberation of Rome on June 4, 1944, two days before D-Day in Normandy.

Our trip will visit these storied sites—Catania, Syracuse, Agrigento, Palermo, Salerno, Cassino, Anzio, and Rome—accompanied by historians and local guides who will help us connect the landscape to the history that unfolded there. Along the way, we’ll also enjoy the beauty that drew the world to Italy long before and long after the war: the turquoise waters of the Amalfi Coast, the golden temples of Agrigento, and the ancient beauty of Palermo and Rome.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

For the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, the Veterans Breakfast Club goes deep with Marine Corps veteran and classical scholar Dr. Josh Cannon about the ancient truths of war.

Join this conversation with an  Iraq veteran, anthropologist, and author, whose new book Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad bridges the 2,600-year-old world of Homer’s Iliad with the modern battlefield of Iraq.

Cannon served as an Arabic cryptologic linguist with the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2005, deploying twice to Iraq—first with the invasion in 2003 and again in 2004. After his service, he pursued graduate studies in linguistics and archaeology at the University of Chicago, earning a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Now a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, Cannon brings both the scholar’s lens and the veteran’s heart to Homer’s tale of rage, loss, and honor.

In Fatal Second Helen, Cannon retells Homer’s epic in clear, vivid prose, weaving in his own combat experiences and reflections on the warrior’s life. It’s a book that asks timeless questions: What draws people to war? What do they bring back from it? And what can ancient heroes like Achilles teach modern warriors about grief, pride, and the search for meaning?

As Cannon writes in his essay “Glorious But Dead—Was It Worth It?”, he has lived the same paradox Homer captured 26 centuries ago: the beauty and the tragedy of battle, the brotherhood and the loss, the impossible attempt to make sense of it all.

This conversation promises to be part literary journey, part war story, and part meditation on how veterans across millennia have wrestled with the same enduring human truths.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present.

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 Shaun Hall at [email protected] 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!

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special livestream conversation with Elliot Ackerman, decorated Marine, CIA officer, acclaimed novelist, and co-chair of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation. Ackerman served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine Raider and special operations officer, earning the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, and Purple Heart. His experiences on the front lines, particularly during the Second Battle of Fallujah—profoundly shaped his worldview and continue to inform his writing about war, morality, and memory.

Since leaving the Marines, Ackerman has become one of America’s most distinguished voices on the human cost and complexity of modern warfare. His novels and memoirs—including Green on Blue, Dark at the Crossing (a National Book Award finalist), Waiting for Eden, Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning, The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan, 2034: A Novel of the Next World War (co-authored with Admiral James Stavridis), and Halcyon—explore what it means to serve, to lose, and to come home changed.

In addition to his literary career, Ackerman serves as co-chair of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation, which is leading the effort to build a national memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring all who served in the post-9/11 wars. He has spoken passionately about ensuring that this memorial reflects not only the valor of service but also the complexity and enduring impact of America’s longest conflict.

This conversation will trace Ackerman’s journey from the Marine Corps to the written page, exploring how combat, conscience, and storytelling intersect in his work. We’ll also discuss his vision for the Global War on Terror Memorial and how remembrance can bridge the gap between those who served and those who did not.

Learn more about Elliot Ackerman at his Penguin Random House Speakers page and read his reflections on the memorial project at the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation.

Legendary journalist and author Elizabeth Becker, who has spent her career bearing witness to the frontlines of history, joins us to talk about her new book, You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War ,a riveting account of three trailblazing female correspondents who shattered gender barriers to cover the Vietnam War.

The book tells the stories of Frances FitzGerald, Kate Webb, and Catherine Leroy, but Elizabeth herself reported from Cambodia and Vietnam in the 1970s. Her courage and insight—captured in You Don’t Belong Here—help redefine how we understand both war and the craft of journalism.

We’ll also explore Becker’s earlier, haunting book, When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution. Drawing on her harrowing reporting in Cambodia, Becker offers an account of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide. She became one of only two Western journalists to meet Pol Pot—an experience that forever shaped her understanding of power, propaganda, and human tragedy.

That historic meeting has now inspired the new feature film Meeting with Pol Pot (2024), directed by acclaimed Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh. The dramatization follows three Western journalists navigating a tightly controlled “Potemkin village” as the regime teeters on the brink of collapse and mass murder is underway behind the scenes.

The film, which premiered at Cannes in 2024, brings Becker’s gripping firsthand account to life and raises questions about truth, memory, and the moral responsibility of journalists. As the character based on Becker—Lise Delbo, played by Irène Jacob—observes, “Genocide is also about silence. You don’t see anything, you don’t hear anything.”

Elizabeth Becker is a pioneering journalist and author. She began her career as a war correspondent for The Washington Post in Cambodia and later served as The New York Times’ Senior Foreign Editor. She has covered politics, economics, and international affairs for decades and is a sought-after commentator and lecturer. Her books—award-winning, deeply reported, and beautifully written—have reshaped how we understand Vietnam, Cambodia, and the role of women in war.

Learn more: elizabethbecker.com/about | Reviews

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

The Veterans Breakfast Club invites you to join us on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00pm Eastern for a special online conversation with author Brenda Partridge-Brown about her new book, Echoes of a Little Brown Soldier Girl. The program will be held on VBC Zoom and livestreamed to our Facebook and YouTube pages.

Brenda’s book tells the story of her mother, Willie Belle Irvin-Partridge, who served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II. Known as the “Six Triple Eight,” the 6888th was the only all-female, predominantly Black U.S. Army unit sent overseas. Their task was both monumental and essential: to clear a massive backlog of more than 17 million pieces of undelivered mail and restore the flow of letters that sustained morale for American troops in Europe. With the motto “No Mail, Low Morale,” the women of the 6888th completed in just three months what had been expected to take six, all while facing racism, sexism, and the daily challenges of wartime service.

Through family memories, archival research, and military records, Brenda Partridge-Brown reconstructs her mother’s remarkable story and places it in the broader context of a unit whose achievements remained largely overlooked for decades. She also describes the long struggle to secure public recognition for the 6888th, which culminated in the award of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022.

This program is an opportunity to hear about an extraordinary group of women who made history, and about one daughter’s journey to bring her mother’s service out of the shadows and into the light. Join us on October 16 as we honor the legacy of the 6888th and listen to the echoes of a “little brown soldier girl” whose courage and devotion deserve to be remembered.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

Join us for a  conversation with author Chas Henry, retired Marine Corps captain and award-winning journalist, as he shares the harrowing story behind Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps Tragedy.

On October 19, 1979, a super typhoon struck Camp Fuji, a remote Marine Corps training site on the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan. Floodwaters from the storm breached a fuel storage area, triggering a gasoline spill that engulfed the camp’s Quonset huts—some of which were heated by open-flame kerosene burners. The resulting inferno killed 13 Marines and injured 73 others, most of them grievously burned. It remains the deadliest peacetime accident in Marine Corps history.

Our program will feature not only Chas Henry but also two Marines who survived the fire:

Mike Cummings, who suffered second- and third-degree burns over 75% of his body. He was medevacked to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and endured years of grueling treatment and surgeries.

David Luttenberger, who escaped the burning hut but visited friends in the burn ward soon after the tragedy. What he witnessed there left a mark deeper than the fire itself.

This long-overlooked episode is one of the Corps’ most searing stories of sacrifice, resilience, and institutional failure. With deep archival research and firsthand accounts, Fuji Fire uncovers how this “freak accident” happened—and why it was almost forgotten.

#FujiFire #MarineCorps #VeteransStories #MilitaryHistory #CampFuji #BurnSurvivor #TyphoonTip #USMC #VBC #ChasHenry #VeteransBreakfastClub #ForgottenHistory

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present.

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. 

All are also invited to email Shaun Hall at [email protected] 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 October 6. 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!

Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an unforgettable evening with Colonel John R. Bates, USMC (Ret.), whose extraordinary 39-year career in the United States Marine Corps (1966–2005) spans three wars, five decades, and a lifetime of service defined by courage, conviction, and grit.

Col. Bates enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1966, dropping out of college to join the fight in Vietnam. There, as a young infantryman with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, he endured some of the most harrowing combat of the war—earning three Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in battle. The first came when he was struck in the chest by machine-gun fire—“like standing over home plate with Mark McGwire swinging for the fences,” he recalls. The second came from a hand grenade explosion that drove searing shrapnel into his leg. The third was the most brutal: he fell into a North Vietnamese punji pit and was impaled through the foot by a three-foot bamboo stake, coated with water buffalo manure to ensure infection.

After spending 23 days in intensive care, Bates defied medical orders, walked out of the hospital in a pair of boots and a hospital gown, caught a ride to the airfield, and returned to his platoon—still spitting up blood. “They needed more trigger-pullers,” he said simply. But the Marine Corps discharged him less than two years into his enlistment due to the severity of his wounds.

He refused to stay out. Over the next seven years, Bates earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees while working as a brakeman, heavy equipment operator, and substitute teacher. All the while, he trained daily to prove he still had what it took to wear the uniform. He submitted five applications for readmission to the Corps—finally earning acceptance in 1975, not by sympathy, but by sheer persistence. “Quite honestly, I think I wore them down,” he said.

As an officer, Col. Bates served around the globe, including in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He held numerous command positions, culminating in a dramatic parachute landing into his own retirement ceremony in 2005 at Camp Pendleton. Along the way, he promoted his own son to the rank of Marine captain, honoring a legacy of service that began with his father, Leland Bates, who flew 51 combat missions in World War II.

We’re grateful to UPMC for Life  for sponsoring this event!

We’ve asked 26-year Army and Pennsylvania National Guard veteran Matt P. Cahill to join us to talk about his Green Star Families of America (greenstarfamilies.org) nonprofit. Matt served as a medic in Iraq and later endured his own battles with PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, and the lasting wounds of war. Out of these experiences, Matt founded  a nonprofit dedicated to honoring and supporting the families of veterans who have died by suicide. Much like the Gold Star tradition that recognizes families of those killed in action, Green Star Families seeks federal recognition of a Green Star Service Banner as a national symbol of remembrance and dignity for survivors of veteran suicide. Matt, now also an advocate and social worker in training, has made it his mission to reduce stigma, build community, and fight for the visibility of these families who often grieve in silence. His work has already inspired legislative efforts, public awareness campaigns, and partnerships across the veteran community.

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 [email protected] 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.