American Valor Quarterly Issue 5 - Winter 2008/09 | Page 5

The American Veterans Center’s
11th Annual Conference
From November 6-8, 2008, American heroes from World
War II, Korea, Vietnam, and those from the current generation serving in Iraq and Afghanistan came to Washington, DC as part of the American Veterans Center’s 11th
Annual Conference. There, they spoke to an audience of
several hundred high school and college students, fellow
veterans, and citizens eager to hear their stories and thank
them for their service.
Appearing at the conference were such legendary veterans
as the Doolittle Raiders, Filthy Thirteen, and Tuskegee Airmen from World War II, as well as recipients of the Medal
of Honor, Lt. General Hal Moore and veterans of the Battle
of Ia Drang in Vietnam, Matthew Eversmann from the
film Black Hawk Down, and decorated service members of
today’s military.
The conference featured three days of speakers and panels, as pictured above, where a packed auditorium listened to Lt. General Hal
Moore, Joseph Galloway, and veterans of Ia Drang recount the first major battle of the Vietnam War.
While all ages are welcome at the Annual Conference, special attention is paid to the students and young people who will be
counted on to be the leaders of tomorrow. Here they are given
the opportunity to learn directly from those who have served
during the pivotal moments in our nation’s military history.
Pictured left, Colin Winkie, one of the many students in attendance, speaks with retired Marine Colonel Dave Severance, the
leader of E Company, 28th Marines during the Battle of Iwo
Jima. It was his company that took Mt. Suribachi, raising the flags
atop the mountain. The second flag raising was captured on camera by Joe Rosenthal, and would become the most legendary photograph of World War II.
In addition to speaker panels, the conference featured evening receptions and events, including a presentation and book signing by
Lt. General Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway, authors of WE ARE
SOLDIERS STILL: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam. The
book is the sequel to their best-selling and highly acclaimed work
We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, later made into the film starring
Mel Gibson as General Moore.
“I promise you,” General Moore recalled saying to his men before