United War Veterans Council, Inc.

03/29/2026

Sharing moments from the annual Vietnam Veterans Day wreath laying ceremony which was held at Vietnam Veterans Plaza in lower Manhattan.

The United War Veterans Council would like to thank everyone who came together to honor the over 1,700 New Yorkers who answered the call and gave their all for our great nation.

We salute our Vietnam Veterans, who fought bravely in an unpopular war and under nearly impossible circumstances.

You never received the heroes welcome that you deserved.

It is our hope, that by coming together each year, the veterans community can show our appreciation for your service and sacrifice.

To quote the motto of Vietnam Veterans of America - “Never Again will One Generation of Veterans Turn It’s Back on Another.”

Happy Vietnam Veterans Day.

Thank You For Your Service.

More importantly, WELCOME HOME.

(Photo Credit to Joe Sinnott)

03/23/2026

03/19/2026

Moments from our latest veterans health & wellness outing.

Big thanks to Texas Roadhouse for opening their doors once again during off hours to provide our veterans with a healthy and hearty lunch.

At Serenity Stables From Combat To Calm the veterans engaged in an equine session consisting of horse grooming and meditation.

Participants consisted of Army, Navy and Marine Veterans with experience spanning from the Cold War to Post 9/11 Service.

02/19/2026

Moments from our latest veterans health and wellness outing.

Big thanks to Texas Roadhouse for opening their doors once again to host our veterans to a delicious lunch.

At Serenity Stables From Combat To Calm the veterans helped out clearing the fields after the recent thaw out from the snow. They ended the afternoon with some horse grooming which a bonding exercise that’s as beneficial to the horses as it is to the veterans.

02/04/2026

Today I hosted veterans from Samaritan Daytop Village at the NJ Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and Museum followed by lunch and movie.

The veterans were fortunate to meet a Vietnam Veteran who acts as a volunteer tour guide for the museum. Bob shared some of his personal experiences with the veterans from his time in uniform including the process of going through officers candidate school and commanding troops during the war.

This group was comprised of veterans from the Army, Navy and Marines with experience spanning from the Cold War to Post 9/11 Service.

01/15/2026

Moments from our latest veterans health & wellness outing.

Big thanks to Texas Roadhouse for opening their doors once again during off hours to provide our veterans with a hearty and healthy lunch which consisted of barbecue chicken, brown rice and vegetables.

We visited the 9/11 Memorial located at the Mount Mitchill scenic overlook in Middletown which rests on the highest point of elevation along the eastern seaboard.

At Serenity Stables From Combat To Calm, the veterans engaged in an equine session that was compromised of horse grooming, groundwork and a meditation session. Most of the veterans had never been around horses before. They were apprehensive at first but as the session progressed they were amazed by the connection they established with these majestic animals.

The unseasonably warm weather made it a perfect day to be outdoors.

Participants were veterans of the Army, Navy and Marines with experience spanning from the Cold War to Post 9/11 Service.

This was a great way to kick off the first outing of 2026.

Semper Fi,
MO 🇺🇸🗽

12/24/2025

It was a wonderful night winding down the 2025 Toys for Tots drive at the Perfect Ashe in Colts Neck NJ where my friends in the cigar club community and the residents at the Regency at Allaire came through big-time during this season of giving!

On behalf of the United War Veterans Council, it’s always an honor and a pleasure to work side by side with the Marine Reserves who are responsible for coordinating these efforts which ensure that thousands of needy children will have gifts to open on Christmas.

Big thanks to our partners at U-Haul for once again lending out vehicles that enhance the ability for the Marines to drop off and pick up the Toys for Tots boxes across the the NY/NJ area.

Special thanks to everyone who donted to this wonderful cause.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Semper Fi,
MO 🎅🏻🎄🎁

12/15/2025

Jared Lyon has always stepped up when needed.

He served our country as a Navy Diver and he now continues to serve as CEO of Student Veterans of America which is a not for profit organization that is dedicated to serving over 750,000 veterans that are attending colleges and universities across the United States.

In 2020, Jared served as Grand Marshal of the New York City Veterans Day Parade. Due to the COVID outbreak, the United War Veterans Council, as producers of the parade, were forced to improvise, adapt and overcome which resulted in our first “dawn patrol” motorcade of 120 vehicles on our 5th Ave parade route which allowed us to keep a century old tradition of honoring veterans alive under extreme circumstances. Furthermore, Jared led the motorcade and he was eager to participate in our modified black tie gala, the TV broadcast which we filmed on board the Intrepid and a ruck march around the war memorials in lower Manhattan.

Since then, Jared has continued to be an ambassador and connector to the UWVC and the Parade.

This year, while we faced challenges due to the government shutdown, Jared once again stepped up when called upon to play an active roll in the parade as Grand Marshal Emeritus.

In recognition of his steadfast support of the UWVC and the Parade, we presented Jared with a unique award. Our first “Pinch Hitter’s Bat.”

Inscribed on the bat is the following:

Presented to
NAVY VETERAN JARED LYON
UWVC’s #1 PINCH HITTER
GRAND MARSHAL EMERITUS
2020 NEW YORK CITY VETERANS DAY PARADE

Coincidentally , Jared was in NYC on business so I arranged a meet up at the New York Stock Exchange to present the award. Other notable coincidences are that Jared transitioned from his service in the Navy to working in the professional baseball community and I transitioned from my time in the Marines to working on the NYSE which is how I initially got involved in working with veterans by mentoring transitioning troops as part of the NYSE Veterans Associate Program.

2026, will be a big year for the Parade as we celebrate the birth of our nation. The U.S. Navy will be our featured service branch so I’m sure that Jared will once again play a significant roll.

12/14/2025

Moments from the annual “rucktacular” Toys for Tots ruck!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year where our merry band of ruckers travels together through the most Christmassy part of Manhattan carrying toys that we pass on to the U.S. Marines who deliver them to thousands of needy children in oder to lift their holiday spirits.

Big thanks to everyone who weathered the storm in order to participate in our 9th annual event during the season of giving.

Additionally, we’d like to thank our partners at U-Haul for once again loaning us their vehicles which enables the Marines to cover more territory and to get the toys into the hands of more children who otherwise may not have gifts to open on Christmas.

12/13/2025

It’s National Wreaths Across America Day which is when communities across country come together to lay hundreds of thousands of wreaths on the graves of veterans in recognition of their service and sacrifice to our nation.

UWVC Chairman and Marine Veteran Nick Angione had the honor of being a keynote speaker at a ceremony that was held at the Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sparta New Jersey.

12/04/2025

Moments from our latest veterans health & wellness outing.

Big thanks to our partners at Jersey Mike's Subs for once again providing a delicious lunch to kick off our outing.

At Serenity Stables From Combat To Calm the veterans spent the afternoon engaging in an equine session that involved a group huddle up, horse grooming, ground work and a meditation session.

Participants were comprised of veterans from the Army, Navy, Marines and the Air Force with experience spanning from the Cold War to Post 9/11 Service.