TopVet

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Keith M. Kasen, Offering The Gift of Entertainment A 20-year Navy Vet has brought millions of dollars worth of free theme park admission – and priceless smiles – to nearly two million Active Duty personnel and their families since 2005. As the Chairman and President of Busch Entertainment Corporation, the family entertainment subsidiary of the Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc., Keith M. Kasen’s leadership demonstrates a corporate tradition of philanthropy and thanking those who serve.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: William J. Henderson, Netflix & USPS Mr. Henderson, 58, joined Netflix just last month, and is best recognized as the former postmaster general and CEO of the US Postal Service from 1994 – 2001. He was the fifth career employee to lead the world’s largest postal system, which processes, transports, and delivers more than 650 million pieces of mail to more than 130 million addresses every day.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Jim Cabela Cabela's Co-founder, Jim Cabela, used his National Guard Salary to support himself during the early stages of the legendary outdoors company.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Gene Shields The Air Force’s own Gene Shields is a major player in delivering specialized medical benefits to those who serve our nation. R. Eugene (Gene) Shields is Louisville, KY-based Humana Inc.’s senior vice president for government programs. He has responsibility for Medicare, TRICARE, the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plans and the company’s Puerto Rico operations. Prior to assuming these responsibilities, Mr. Shields led the development and launch of Humana Emphesys, the next generation of digital health plan products, and a new operating platform for Humana.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Bill Chatfield When Bill Chatfield attends social gatherings these days, he can expect the small talk to come around, eventually, to this: Will there be a draft, Bill? Followed quickly by, "Tell us it ain’t so." Even though he doesn’t have an easy answer, he does know this: If there is to be a draft, the Selective Service System will be ready. Of this he is sure. Why? Because Bill Chatfield is director of the system.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Bill France, Jr., NASCAR After graduating high school and attending college at the University of Florida at Gainesville, Bill France, Jr. spent two years in the Navy. He was an ordnance man, loading guns and bombs and rising to the rank of Petty Officer 3 rd Class.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Alex Guariento One of the Army’s best transportation officers now works to keep our nation’s largest bus system safe and secure. Alex Guariento is charged with establishing policies and procedures that promote and maintain operational safety, security-related matters, regulatory compliance and a healthy working environment for Greyhound.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Joseph A. Marengi, Dell Computer From 1978 through 1981, Mr. Marengi served in the United States Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Thomas L. Keltner, Hilton Hotels Keltner received a master’s degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio University. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin Some of the lessons Robert J. Stevens learned in the Marine Corps have no doubt aided and abetted his subsequent career, now at the top of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Military & Veterans Life TopVet: Michael Jordan, EDS Life has come full circle for Michael Jordan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of tech services giant EDS. After college, the young Jordan served a four-year tour of duty with the U.S. Navy on the staff of Admiral Hyman Rickover.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Samuel K. Skinner Skinner served as a Lieutenant and a tank platoon leader in the United States Army in 1960-1961 and is an honor graduate of the Army Officers Basic Course.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Curtis W. Robb, CIO Delta Airlines Air Force Veteran and Delta Airline Chief Information Officer Curtis Robb, is charged with rolling out transformational technologies at the global air carrier, and creating a new paradigm for the airline industry with sophisticated real-time data.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Gordon Bethune, Continental Airlines I was in the Navy, and by default, I got promoted to petty officer second class. I supervised the second shift, which worked from seven at night to seven in the morning. We were airplane mechanics, but I was in charge.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Captain Christopher P. Boylan Christopher Boylan, Senior NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority Executive and a Captain in The Naval Reserves balances an extraordinarily successful professional career with a deep commitment to continuing service to our country.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Richard North Patterson Army Veteran Richard North Patterson brings his experience among Washington’s inner circles toward helping and entertaining others. He’s a best-selling novelist, and is active in family outreach programs.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Dick Murphy Former Army 1st Lieutenant Dick Murphy is the 33rd Mayor of the City of San Diego, the nation’s seventh largest city, and is regarded as bringing a fresh outsider’s thinking to the challenges of local politics.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Ted Stevens, U.S. Senator from Alaska Ted Stevens, Alaska’s senior senator, is one of the longest serving -- and most powerful members of the United States Senate.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Bob Dupuy America’s pastime also has an American patriot at the top. Vietnam Army Veteran Bob DuPuy is president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball (MLB), leading day-to-day operations for his high-profile boss, Commissioner Bud Selig, and helping navigate the MLB through unprecedented growth during one of the most controversial periods in its history.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Bill Elmore Twenty years ago, "Jobs for Vets" was one of the rallying cries of advocates who cared about those who had returned to a less than rousing "welcome home" after serving in Southeast Asia.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Quang X. Pham, Executive & Author Several hundred veterans and their friends gathered recently at Vietnam Veterans Plaza in downtown Manhattan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Angel Almedina Chapter 126 of Vietnam Veterans of America. Among them were a former Marine major who had served in the first Gulf War and a onetime Army Spec/5 who had spent ten months in Vietnam more than half a life ago. They shared hugs and beers.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Virgil Spight /PAL to Kids Virgil L. Spight, who has more than 37 years of public service experience in law enforcement and in the military, where he served as a staff sergeant in the Air Force, is the new executive director of the Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL).

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Charles R. Larson, Admiral, US Navy (Ret.) Admiral Charles R. Larson has unique experience across the spectrum of military leadership, education, management and government policy. Today, after decades of military service, he continues to serve, this time in Corporate America, as a member of the Board of Directors of Northrop Grumman, where he was elected in 2002.

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Chuck Widger, Money Manager Chuck Widger, Navy Veteran, is president and CEO of Brinker Capital, a specialist in strategic investment planning, an eminently successful and astute "educated person" whose firm now manages in excess of $3 billion in assets.