Veterans Blog - Scott's Corner » Photos

The Colbert Report Travels to Iraq for a Haircut

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:39:34 +0000

Those on staff here had a chuckle to watch the latest “Colbert Report,” starring Stephen Colbert as he traded yuks with Gen. Odierno, airing on tape from one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces. The show, which is due to air from Iraq most of this week received assistance from the USO. Colbert came on stage like a former USO star – Bob Hope – swinging a golf club and joking about the weather.

But the kicker was watching Odierno shave Colbert’s head, on orders from President Obama.

Both the character and the real Colbert are ardent supporters of the troops. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which helps injured service members and their families, and is a board member of DonorsChoose.org, which is raising money for the education of children of military parents.

Who Says Politicians Don’t Keep Their Promises?

admin — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:01:09 +0000

In late autumn last year, my son and Gettysburg College Freshman Parker Higgins spent an active and picturesque weekend afternoon with two friends on the grounds of the Gettysburg battlefield. Skateboarding to the summit of Little Round Top (the high ground of the battlefield overlooking the wheat field where Picket made his ill-fated charge), he thought he had the beautiful view all to himself, when he spotted two imposing snipers carrying long-range rifles, one to his right and the other to his left.

Yes, you read correctly. Snipers. “Yikes,” he thought and asked them what was going on. They said “nothing.” Then, he asked them if it was all right for him to be there. And they said, “yes, it was OK”. At that point, a caravan of cars and SUV’s pulled up and out of one, jumped …President Bush! He walked straight over to Parker, shook hands and asked “did you come up all the way to the top on that board?”

The former president was touring the battlefield for the first time, having flown by Marine Corps One from Camp David with friends and family. He and Parker exchanged some memorable – and fun – insights about the area, including a special salute to Veterans Advantage – “be sure to tell your parents thank you for everything they do for veterans.”

Anyway, back to the promise – the President promised to send a signed photo of Parker’s chance encounter. We wondered if it ever would arrive, especially since inauguration day had come and gone.

But true to his promise, President Bush delivered with a signed photograph. [See below].

It was nice of him to remember. Go Parker!

Visiting New York City’s Mayor

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:14:52 +0000

I was honored to have received in my mailbox just last week photographs from the New York City Mayor’s office, which included several of our team members with the Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as part of a special Veterans Day breakfast he hosted last November. Veterans Advantage and the City of New York have always been in close communication for efforts to support those who served, ever since I (you’ll see me pictured first with the mayor and Veterans Advantage Chief Operating Officer Lin Higgins) co-founded the New York City Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the 1980s.

We salute the City of New York!