TAMPA, Fla. — Dan K. Wiley, an Air Force veteran and retired Kansas judge who raises cattle in Leavenworth, was elected national commander of The American Legion on August 28, 2025, taking the helm of the nation’s largest veterans organization. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026...
WASHINGTON — Ryan M. Gallucci, an Army veteran of the Iraq War, became executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Washington Office on March 1, 2023 — the first post-9/11 veteran to lead the organization’s Capitol Hill operation. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by...
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Alfred J. “Al” Lipphardt, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran from Georgia, served as the 116th Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) from 2024 to 2025, leading the nation’s largest organization of combat veterans before handing the post to his successor. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — On August 13, 2025, Carol Whitmore was elected the 117th Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), becoming the first woman — and the first Iowan — to lead the 126-year-old organization. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing 250 veterans...
WASHINGTON — Robert Thomas, a U.S. Army veteran from Cleveland who lives with a spinal cord injury, serves as national president and chairman of the board of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the organization’s highest elected office. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing 250...
WASHINGTON — Carl Blake, a West Point graduate and Army officer whose own spinal cord injury ended his military career, now serves as chief executive officer of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the only congressionally chartered veterans organization dedicated solely to veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases. This profile is part of #250for250, a...
HOUSTON — David Traxler, a 20-year Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and once led investigations for the Marine Corps Inspector General, now directs U.S.VETS Houston, the local arm of the nation’s largest effort to end veteran homelessness. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in...
LOS ANGELES — Stephen J. Peck, a Marine officer who served in Vietnam and later became a documentary filmmaker, spent nearly three decades at U.S.VETS — 14 of them as chief executive — building it into the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to ending veteran homelessness before retiring at the end of 2024. This profile is...
LOS ANGELES — On January 1, 2025, Darryl J. Vincent became president and chief executive officer of U.S.VETS, the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to preventing and ending veteran homelessness, after more than two decades climbing the organization’s ranks. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing...
Gen. John M. Paxton Jr., who served as the 33rd Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps — the service’s second-highest-ranking officer — now serves on the board of directors of the Semper Fi & America’s Fund, a charity for wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families. This profile is part of #250for250, a...