Veterans Day 2026
Our Veterans Day program will present a moderated conversation featuring three incredible Veterans from the post-9/11 era including:
- JoAnne S. Bass, former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
- Jennifer Ballou, U.S. Army Retired Master Sergeant, Gold Star Spouse and Chief of Staff of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation
- Zachariah Collett, U.S. Army combat Veteran from Ohio and one of the Veterans featured in President George W. Bush’s Portraits of Courage exhibition at NVMM
These distinguished speakers will explore our nation’s 250 years of military service and progress, while also recognizing the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Our goal is to encourage our program viewers to look for opportunities to serve their own communities with friends, families, and co-workers.
If you are unable to join us in person on Veterans Day, you can watch a livestream of the ceremony here.
Veterans Day Weekend Events:
Today through Veterans Day
Dedicate a Veterans Day Flag
Once again in 2026, you have the opportunity to honor a Veteran in your life in our Veterans Day flag campaign. For a donation of $25 or more, you can dedicate a flag on the NVMM lawn in honor of a loved one who served our country, or to honor all who have sworn to defend our country through military service.
Nov. 11 | 11 a.m.
Veterans Day National Ceremony
Join us this Veterans Day as we honor 250 years of Veterans serving our nation and mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11—not simply by looking back, but by celebrating how far we’ve come and inspiring what comes next. Hear powerful perspectives on service from JoAnne Bass, Jennifer Ballou and Zachariah Collett and discover how each of us can continue the legacy of service in our own way.
Featured Speakers:
JoAnne S. Bass
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass represented the highest enlisted level of leadership, and as such, provided direction for the enlisted force and represented their interests, as appropriate, to the American public and to those in all levels of government. She served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of more than 600,000 Total Force Airmen. Chief Bass was the 19th chief master sergeant appointed to the highest noncommissioned officer position.
Chief Bass was raised as an Army dependent, living in several overseas and stateside locations, prior to entering the Air Force in 1993. Throughout her career, she held a variety of leadership positions serving at the squadron, group, wing and major command levels. She has significant joint service and special operations experience and has participated in several operations and exercises as well as deployments in direct support of Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.
Jennifer R. Ballou
Jennifer R. Ballou is an author, nonprofit executive, retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, and resilience practitioner whose work spans more than three decades of leadership, service, and advocacy. She is the author of Own Your Resilience: An Army Leader and War Widow Shares Tools to Live with Courage and Joy, forthcoming from St. Martin’s Press in November 2026.
Originally from Mentor, Ohio, Jennifer began her journey of service when she enlisted in the U.S. Army just weeks after graduating from high school. Over nearly 21 years in uniform, she rose through the ranks to serve in key leadership roles with broad influence across the Army, including Senior Enlisted Advisor to the U.S. Army Resilience Directorate at the Pentagon and First Sergeant of the 257th Dental Company, the first Army dental company to deploy to Afghanistan.
It was during that deployment that Jennifer’s life changed forever when her husband, SSG Edwardo Loredo, was killed in action. In the years that followed, she continued to serve while helping advocate for other surviving military families. She was selected to serve on the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Survivor Advisory Working Group, where she helped shape Army policy. Her advocacy contributed to greater stability options for uniformed surviving spouses, providing greater choice during an extraordinarily difficult time. Jennifer retired from the Army in 2015.
Today, Jennifer serves as Chief of Staff for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, helping advance the effort to establish the National Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Her broader work sits at the intersection of leadership, resilience, and purposeful living. Through her company, A Joyful Life with Jennifer, she works with individuals and organizations to create space for greater awareness, connection, and more sustainable ways of living and leading. Jennifer holds a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), Certified Professional Life Coach, 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, and Registered Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant. Her approach draws from decades of lived leadership experience alongside evidence-informed practices that support resilience, self-awareness, and well-being.
Jennifer previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum and was the first Gold Star Fellow for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. In 2022, she was selected as a Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program scholar at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. She currently serves on USAA’s Advisory Panel, as a board member for Veteran Recreation Ohio, and as a faculty member for Warriors at Ease, supporting organizations and initiatives that strengthen the military and veteran community.
Across her leadership, writing, speaking, and teaching, Jennifer invites people to consider not only how they move through challenge, but how they want to spend the life they have been given. At the heart of her work is a belief that while we cannot always choose what happens to us, we can take ownership of how we respond, and that meaningful change, courage, and joy remain possible.
Jennifer is the proud wife of retired Army Command Sergeant Major Omari Ballou and the mother of three children, Alexis, Eddie, and Sophia.
Zachariah Collett
Zachariah Collett is a combat veteran and advocate for his fellow veterans, a coach, an extreme endurance athlete, and emerging scholar.
Collett served as an Airborne Military Police Officer with the 16th MP Brigade out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and deployed multiple times during his eight years of service. Combat-related injuries sustained during his service led to his medical retirement in 2010.
The years following his retirement brought significant challenges, including surgical interventions and mental health struggles that he overcame through athletics, family support, and a commitment to growth.
In 2013, Collett was invited to attend the Warrior 100k bike ride in the Palo Dura Canyon; he later competed in the Warrior Open. His involvement with the George W. Bush Presidential Center deepened his commitment to veteran advocacy and he has since become an active advocate for the work of the George W. Bush Veterans & Military Families Program. He has been part of Team43 for the last 13 years, which has shaped his understanding and appreciation of resilience, recovery, and the power of purpose-built community.
As a Ph.D. student in Human Factors Psychology at Wright State University, he researches human performance in high-stakes environments. Through all he is and does, he strives to be a lighthouse for those struggling with the storms of life.
Collett is a native of central Ohio and comes from a family with a strong tradition of military service. Most importantly, he is a devoted husband and father of four, whose unwavering support has been integral to his journey of healing and transformation.
