Catch Up: Proud to Honor Benefit Concert Celebrating America's Heroes
Last week, I had the pleasure of joining fellow veterans from across the country at Ford’s Proud to Honor: Bronco Off-Roadeo event in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
We welcomed 200 veterans, military families, caregivers, and survivors — from all 50 states, including a few all the way from Alaska and Hawaii — to beautiful Texas Hill Country to celebrate their service.
Veterans from some of the most well-regarded U.S. Service Organizations, including Blue Star Families, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, DAV, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Guitars 4 Vets, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Team Rubicon, and the Travis Manion Foundation joined us.
To honor their stories, we created a special interactive map that highlights stories of service from the veteran and military community nationwide. You can even search by branch, and it’ll keep growing over time.
Stories of Service Across the U.S.A.
Explore the Map
Executive Chair Bill Ford joined us and spoke about the impactful ways Ford continues to show up to support our Veterans. For example, Ford is committed to hiring veterans and their family members and recently signed the PAYS Act, which guarantees any member of the active-duty military an interview for an open position at Ford.
Head of Veteran Recruiting Ryan Smart also joined to share the recruiting pathways we offer to help Veterans transition successfully into civilian life with attendees.
The support doesn’t stop there.
Last Friday in Nashville, we hosted Proud to Honor: Celebrating America’s Heroes concert. This was a first-of-its-kind, livestreamed benefit concert that we partnered with TikTok and Blue Star Families to host in honor of the military community.
We sang and danced to performances from Zac Brown, The War and Treaty, Tyler Hubbard, and many more.
If you'd like to join us in giving back, visit the @bluestarfamilies TikTok account on your phone, and click the link in their bio to donate. Veterans service organizations will continue to benefit from funds raised during and post the event.
I’m so proud to be part of a company that doesn’t just talk about supporting veterans — it drives the mission forward every single day. The Proud to Honor: Bronco Off-Roadeo event and Celebrating America’s Heroes concert are just two of many ways Ford reinforces its long-standing commitment to recognizing and giving back to those who have served our nation.
Supporting the military has always been a part of the company's history, and we will continue to do our part. Happy Veterans Day.
Scott Rumfield is head of the Ford veteran employee resource group.
