Heroes, ROTC and military school students, and actors gathered to celebrate the nation’s veterans in Washington, D.C., over the weekend ahead of Veterans Day.
The annual conference, hosted by the American Veterans Center, featured appearances from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan veterans who recounted their experiences to an audience of about 500 Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and ROTC students, West Point and Air Force Academy cadets, and Naval Academy midshipmen.
The weekend-long event was capped by the organization’s Emmy-winning The Honors: A Salute to American Heroes program, a televised awards reception that each year recognizes veteran American heroes for their outstanding service and accomplishments. This years honorees included Col. Buzz Aldrin, a U.S. Air Force veteran and NASA astronaut who was one of the first men to walk on the moon, and Cpl. Hershel "Woody" Williams, the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima, among a number of others.
Several actors and journalists—including Dean Cain, Michael Douglas, Megyn Kelly, and Bob Schieffer—shared the stories of the military heroes at the event Saturday evening, which will be broadcast on the ReelzChannel and American Heroes Channel next weekend.
Jim Roberts, the president of the American Veterans Center, told the Washington Free Beacon that the organization’s mission is to "honor the legacy of our veterans, the legacy of their service and sacrifice."
Roberts said that the annual conference, in its 18th year, makes education a primary component by presenting histories of American heroes to the next crop of young service members in the audience. In addition to the Honors ceremony, the conference offered three days of panels and discussions with distinguished veterans, as well as a Wounded Warrior Experience event profiling wounded veterans who served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Roberts pointed to the Wounded Warrior Experience as the most "inspirational" portion of the three-day program, expressing his admiration for the "remarkable, positive spirit … [and] the great morale they have."
One of the participants in the Wounded Warrior event was U.S. Army veteran Maj. Jaspen Boothe, who was recognized at the "Honors" ceremony with an award for female contributions to the military. Boothe is a disabled veteran and a cancer survivor who was left homeless after Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, she founded Final Salute Inc., an organization that provides housing and other support to homeless female veterans and their children.
"It was great to be honored among veterans as an equal," Boothe told the Free Beacon, pointing to the recognition she received as a woman in the military.
Other honorees at Saturday’s ceremony included the Army’s 761st Tank Battalion, Congressional Gold Medal recipient Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland, Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall, retired Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient Lt. Jason Redman, Army veteran and 13th Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington, and the fallen Navy SEALs and aviators from Operation Red Wings, the mission on which the film Lone Survivor was based.
Looking forward to Veterans Day, Roberts, a Navy veteran, emphasized the contributions veterans have made to ensure American freedom and the need to preserve these sacrifices, which the American Veterans Center does through its oral history preservation, educational, and civic programs.
"We need to remind ourselves that freedom is not free," Roberts stated, adding that millions of veterans are paying for American freedom "in blood."
Boothe encouraged Americans to support veterans as often as possible, instead of just recognizing service members on Nov. 11.
"Americans should realize that for a veteran, everyday is Veterans Day," Boothe stated.