Stephen Peck: The Vietnam Marine and Filmmaker Who Led U.S.VETS
#250FOR250, Nex-finityNews

The Filmmaker Who Fought Veteran Homelessness: Stephen Peck’s 28 Years at U.S.VETS

June 9, 2026June 9, 2026By Dominick Bianco, Editor-in-Chief
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Stephen Peck: The Vietnam Marine and Filmmaker Who Led U.S.VETS
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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 part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing 250 veterans and the leaders who serve them — Americans whose commitment to country did not end when they left the uniform. Peck is honored for building, over nearly three decades, the nation’s largest organized effort to end veteran homelessness.

Vietnam and a Famous Name

Peck graduated from Northwestern University in 1968, where he studied film, influenced by his father, the actor Gregory Peck. He entered the Marine Corps that same year. In Vietnam, he served as a first lieutenant in the 1st Marine Division, working as a forward observer outside Danang, and received the Navy Commendation Medal. In simple terms, a forward observer is the Marine who moves with frontline units and directs artillery and air support — among the most dangerous jobs in combat.

From Film to the Front Lines of Homelessness

After his service, Peck became a documentary filmmaker, earning recognition for works including “Heart of the Warrior” and “Far from Home,” the latter about homeless Vietnam veterans living in Venice, California. That subject drew him toward the cause that would define the rest of his career, bridging his work as a storyteller and his identity as a Marine.

Building U.S.VETS

Peck spent more than 28 years at U.S.VETS, the final 14 as president and chief executive officer. During his tenure he grew the organization substantially, expanding its housing and service footprint and using advocacy to push for better outcomes for veterans. Under his leadership U.S.VETS became the country’s largest nonprofit provider of housing and services aimed at preventing and ending veteran homelessness, reaching more than 12,000 veterans a year across a national network of sites and roughly 380 employees.

Peck’s approach married direct services with public advocacy. He argued consistently that ending veteran homelessness was achievable, not inevitable — a matter of political will, coordinated funding, and the kind of wraparound support U.S.VETS specialized in. That conviction helped the organization expand even as the broader challenge of veteran homelessness resisted easy solutions.

Retirement and Legacy

Peck announced his retirement in 2024 as part of a planned transition, with the board appointing his deputy, Darryl Vincent, as successor effective January 2025. Peck now serves U.S.VETS in an advisory role, focusing on a major Veterans Affairs housing development in West Los Angeles and continuing his advocacy for veterans nationally.

Analysis

Peck’s career is a study in how personal history can shape institutional mission. A combat veteran who turned a filmmaker’s eye on homeless veterans, he brought both lived experience and storytelling instincts to an organization that depends on making an often-invisible crisis visible to the public and to policymakers.

Conclusion

Peck leaves U.S.VETS larger and more established than he found it, and the transition to Vincent reflects the kind of orderly succession many nonprofits struggle to achieve. His legacy is measured in the tens of thousands of veterans who found housing on his watch.

Key Takeaways

  • Stephen J. Peck led U.S.VETS for 14 years as CEO and spent more than 28 years with the organization before retiring at the end of 2024.
  • A Vietnam veteran, he served as a Marine first lieutenant and forward observer outside Danang and received the Navy Commendation Medal.
  • Peck is the son of actor Gregory Peck and became a documentary filmmaker, including a film about homeless Vietnam veterans.
  • He built U.S.VETS into the nation’s largest nonprofit fighting veteran homelessness, serving 12,000+ veterans a year.
  • He was succeeded by Darryl Vincent in January 2025 and now serves as a senior advisor.

Sources

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