All the Way Home: Event Schedule
8:45 Officially open doors
9:00 Exhibit Hall - Opening ceremony:
9:35-10:05 Theater: Pat Kerr * live music on stage between speakers
10:20-11:05 Theater: Rocky Bleier * live music on stage between speakers
11:20-12:05 Theater: Charlie Plumb
12:10 Exhibit Hall - Recognition Ceremony
1:00-1:45 Theater: Rocky Bleier * live music on stage between speakers
2:00-2:45 Theater: Charlie Plumb * live music on stage between speakers
3:00-3:45 Theater: Pat Kerr * live music on stage between speakers
4:00 Exhibit Hall - Closing Ceremony
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Featured Speaker:
Rocky Bleier
Wounded Vetnam War Veteran, 4-time Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburg Steelers
Rocky Bleier's life story - a gripping tale of courage on both the football fields of America and the battle fields of Vietnam - has held audiences in rapt attention for years. Yet, the motivational message behind it, detailing how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers, defines success in the new American century.
With the same optimism, sense of humor and steadfast determination that were his trademarks as a Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Rocky Bleier takes audiences from his early years through his professional career and talks about the lessons he learned along the way….lessons that we all can benefit from.
Not falling within the ideal of what a running back should look like, Bleier had to run harder and play smarter to be able to stand out. Despite his drive and ability to make the big play, the Pittsburgh Steelers only considered him a late round pick. But before the season ended that first year, he was drafted again…this time by the United States Army. At the height of the Vietnam War, Bleier was thrust into combat early and was seriously wounded when his platoon ran into an ambush. Receiving wounds from both rifle fire and grenade fragments in his legs, he was barely able to walk and his professional football career seemed to have ended before it began.For more than two years, he drove himself. Little by little he overcame obstacles and fought his way back. He not only made the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also eventually became a starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the 20th century.
The hard lessons Rocky Bleier learned early in his life that helped him overcome adversity and reach his goals, have paid off after football. Some of those lessons are seen between the lines in the popular book on his life, "Fighting Back," and an ABC-TV movie of the week by the same name.
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Place of Birth: Appleton, Wisconsin
High School: Xavier High School
1968: Won National Football Championship with Notre Dame
1968: Graduated from Notre Dame
Degree in Business Management
1968: Drafted in the 16th round by the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers
December 1968: Drafted by the U.S. Army
May 1969: Sent to Vietnam
Served with the 4th/31st of the 196th LIB of the Americal Division
Stationed in Chu Lai, South Vietnam located in I Corp
August 1969: Wounded in Heip Duc, Awarded Purple Heart,
Awarded Bronze Star |
1970: Pittsburgh Steelers Injured Reserve
1971: Pittsburgh Steelers Taxi Squad
1972: Made the active roster for the Pittsburgh Steelers
1974: Earned a spot in the starting backfield
1975: Enjoyed one of the best games of his career against the Greenbay Packers…he rushed for 163 yards for the day.
1976: Rocky Bleier & Franco Harris became the second pair of running backs from the same team to gain 1000 yards in the same season.
1977: Scored the "go-ahead" touchdown in Super Bowl XIII
1980: Retired from the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the 1980 season.
1980: President, Rocky Bleier, Inc.
• Four-time Super Bowl Champion (IX; X; XIII; XIV) |
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Featured Speaker:
Captain Charlie Plumb
Former Navy Fighter Pilot - P.O.W.
Captain Charlie Plumb graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis and went on to fly the F-4 Phantom jet on 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam. On his 75th mission, with only five days before he was to return home, Plumb was shot down, captured, tortured, and imprisoned in an 8 foot x 8 foot cell. He spent the next 2,103 days as a Prisoner Of War in communist prison camps.
During his nearly six years of captivity, Charlie Plumb distinguished himself among his fellow prisoners as a professional in underground communications, and served for two of those years as the Chaplain in his camp.
Since his return home, more than 4,000 audiences in nearly every industry have been spellbound as Captain Charlie Plumb draws parallels between his P.O.W. experience and the challenges of everyday life. He has shared his message to an even wider public through appearances on Good Morning America, Nightline, Larry King Live, and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
One of the most sought-after achievement speakers of his time, Charlie Plumbs presentations are as he is, sincere, straightforward, humorous, and tailored to motivate each specific audience he encounters. His insights on how to cope with the difficulties as well as the opportunities in life have a positive impact on those who hear his message, those who read his books, and those who come to know him as a friend.
Captain Plumb's Military honors include two Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the P.O.W. Medal.
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Featured Speaker:
Patricia Rowe Kerr
Missouri State Veterans Ombudsman
Director, Operation Outreach
Missouri Veterans Commission
As the State Veterans Ombudsman I have developed, and currently oversee, a statewide program to increase public awareness of the State Veterans agency and the needs of the military and Veterans and their families, particularly in light of the extensive and unprecedented use of citizen soldiers during the Global War on Terror. That program is called Operation Outreach.
As the liaison to state and federal agencies, the Ombudsman advocates for changes that affect the way the State of Missouri and the federal government define and provide services to their citizen soldiers, active duty military personnel, and their families and Veterans.
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* Organize national efforts to identify service member, family and Veteran gaps and needs due to mobilization, deployment, reintegration and injury and to match those needs to federal, state, community resources and policy solutions.
* Provide advisory support to the statutorily created Missouri Military Preparedness Enhancement Commission and serve on the advisory board for the statutorily created Missouri Military Family Relief Fund and Operation: Military Kid. Provide the key leadership in all resource coordination activities that support the Missouri Military Family Relief Fund.
* Instrumental in development of the issues defining the State of Missouri’s Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans Issues.
* Instrumental in development of the issues defining the Joint Committee of the House and Senate on Veterans Affairs for the State of Missouri.
Special emphasis was placed on developing advocacy programs for the injured Guard, Reserve and Active Duty, recognizing the significant injuries of this conflict to include traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress, and the necessity for mental health services for families.
* Tasked with educating service members, families and Veterans regarding traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress and assisted with the development of the State Action Plan for “Traumatic Brain Injury in Missouri.”
* Developed the manual “Life After War – It’s About Making A Plan” to assist injured in navigating the various Department of Defense and federal and state programs available.
* Coordinated efforts that created intra-state agency relationships to provide advocacy and education for service members and Veterans that resulted in cost savings to the state and increased benefits to the service members and Veterans in an expedited and timely manner. An Intra-Agency Veterans Summit was coordinated to continue that dialogue.
* Formed an informal national coalition of military donors and network to assist in providing funding outside state general revenue. Invited to present testimony before a subcommittee of Congress on small business issues facing returning Veterans. provided written testimony to the Veterans Administration and various Presidential Commissions and Task Forces studying the needs of Global War on Terror service members, families and Veterans as well as presenting CE seminars across the nation.
Director, Operation Outreach (Missouri Veterans Commission)
As one of the leaders at the Missouri Veterans Commission, our team created a program to provide resources for service members, their families and new Veterans deployed to support the Global War on Terror. This program became a model in the nation.
With emphasis on advocacy, education, navigation and resource coordination, over $1 million in resources were coordinated in a two and one-half year period, over 5000 service members, their families and new Veterans were briefed and over 1500 cases were managed. New legislation was created and passed and new policies and procedures were developed and implemented.
Create statewide events to provide outreach avenues in order for Veterans to access federal benefits.
* Board member of Operation Military Kids, Brain Injury Association of Missouri, Missouri Military Family Relief Fund Advisory Board.
* Missouri Veterans Commission representative to the Missouri Military Preparedness Enhancement Commission.
*American Legion Heroes2Hometown representative
Honors
* VFW Veterans Appreciation Award 2004
* 89th RRC Commanding General “Letter of Commendation”
* 2004 American Red Cross “Heart of A Hero – Local Volunteer Hero Award”
* 2005 Exercise Tiger Foundation, Spirit of America “Military Community Relations Award”
* 2005 Public Relations Society of America “Communicator of the Year” finalist
* 2006 Brain Injury Association of Missouri “Service Excellence Award”
* 2006 Zonta Woman of Achievement finalist
* 2007 Classic Woman of the Year, Traditional Home Magazine
* 2007 - Recognized by the Missouri Senate for her work on behalf of Troops - Past, Present and Future.
* 2008 First Lady Awards, (Melanie Blunt) nominee
* 2008 American Red Cross “Heart of A Hero” Award nomiee