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When Peter Kovach’s wife, Monica, was diagnosed with rapid early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, he knew she would no longer be able to drive the family van. Because the van holds treasured family moments of taking their daughter to school, horseback riding and music lessons, Peter wanted to donate their vehicle to support a worthy cause...
Oscar Olguin’s platoon was preparing for one of the biggest battles during the Iraq War. While pulling security for a vehicle that held some persons of interest, a suicide car bomber headed for his detail and detonated. During the explosion, Oscar lost part of his right leg.
As an amputee, he wondered what would become of his lif...
On Veterans Day in 2022, Hopewell Junior School embraced its chance to salute the 16.5 million veterans of our nation’s armed forces. In doing so, Hopewell students and faculty were among the first to pilot a national initiative to honor and support veterans forever changed in war.
Led by DAV (Disabled American Veterans), the pro...
Michael and Danielle Bernock were on a trip to celebrate their anniversary when they passed by DAV National Headquarters in Erlanger, Kentucky.
“As we were driving down the freeway, I noticed [it] and I said, ‘Look, look, look! ... There it is! That’s DAV,’” Michael said.
The Bernocks called and...
When Natalie White found her husband unresponsive the morning after his 41st birthday, she thought it was just another bump in what had been a very rough road. She assumed he’d wake up like he had before when something similar happened.
At 30-weeks pregnant with what she calls their miracle baby, White couldn’t fathom anyth...
Chris Jarvis was a Marine recruit in basic training when he heard about the 9/11 attacks.
“I was getting close to the end of a long obstacle course, and [our commanding officers] told us we’re going to war—the twin towers just got hit,” said Chris, who before that moment didn’t know what the twin towers we...
Drafted into the army at age 20, Wambi Cook had no idea he was about to be thrust into one of the Vietnam War’s fiercest battles.
It was the summer of 1967 and the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s “Sky Soldiers” were vastly outnumbered by North Vietnamese Army regulars at Đắk Tô in an unimaginably intense cl...
Brave. Resilient. Strong.
This describes the children of wounded, disabled or fallen military heroes who attend Camp Corral to build peer networks and develop coping skills through outdoor recreation. With the help of DAV’s Just B Kids scholarship program, Catrina Vaden’s children benefitted from a week at camp with o...
All of the other children presenting tributes to America’s fallen warriors were dressed in white. But 8-year-old Cammie Truex wore a light-blue dress—its sweet pale color reminiscent of the forget-me-not flower.
Michael Neff, commander of DAV Chapter 81 in Ashland, Ohio, had approached Cammie and her mom, Kassandra Tr...
*Update: Marine Corps veteran Keith Ezell passed away on March 15, 2023. Our thoughts are with Kim Ezell and the family during their time of grief.
Keith “EZ” Ezell was in 8th grade the first time he saw a Marine in dress blues stroll down his school’s hallway.
“I knew right then that’s...
As a retired Navy submarine officer, John Sullivan is used to traveling undetected while at sea. But when a silent killer was found in his chest, the longtime sailor was knocked off his keel.
Doctors discovered an aortic aneurism and congenital heart defect after DAV benefits advocate Jeremy Yost encouraged John to include a hear...
After her service in the Marine Corps, Arella Aleman wasn’t sure what her next steps should be. She was interested in technology, so she began searching for information on a career in cybersecurity. Arella soon learned that she would need to take classes to qualify for a job in that field.
“I started online coursework...
Whether it’s front, side or roundhouse kicks, Hamilton-Fairfield Taekwondo in Fairfield, Ohio, has been breaking boards since 1983.
But for t...
Veterans often reflect on the close friendships forged throughout their time in service. Whether they enlisted around the same time, trained side by side, or engaged in combat together, many say that there is no greater comfort than having a trusted comrade next to you.
Yet a disabled veteran’s family and friends who have only kn...
Levi Glazer is not your typical California teen. While he loves to surf and is hoping to get into the engineering program at the University of California, Berkeley, there is more to him than meets the eye.
Levi ascribes to “tikkun olam”—or “repairing the world”—an important value to his Jewish faith....
