Academy of United States Veterans Commissions Bennett Custom Awards
The Academy of United States Veterans (AUSV) commissioned Bennett Awards to create new custom awards for its annual VETTY Awards.
The Academy of United States Veterans (AUSV) established the annual VETTY awards in 2015 to recognize the most impactful entities that contribute to the well-being of the veteran community. The VETTY Awards are given each year to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated relentless dedication and selfless service to the veteran community and their families.
For these awards, AUSV worked with Bennett Awards to create a new custom award design in the form of military boots. These boots represent the 'boots on the ground' work of the Veterans Service Organizations. The sculpture is symbolic of the organizations and individuals that demonstrate a strong foundation in helping to create veterans’ projects, educating the public on their value, while also encouraging a unified veterans community. These custom sculpture awards were created in pewter, featured both gold- and silver-plated finishes, and were mounted on black marble bases.
The 2018 VETTY Awards presentation was held January 20, 2018, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The 2018 VETTYS were host by CNN’s Jake Trapper. Tapper is known for his vocal advocacy of the veteran community and his book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Bestseller list. His work reporting on veterans earned him the “Tex” McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. In addition to Tapper, the event featured other prominent speakers and presenters, including Marine Corps and Navy veteran Montel Williams of The Montel Williams Show, and actress Anne Heche, series lead of the hit NBC military drama, The Brave .
Winners of the 2018 VETTY Awards were:
Education: Dustin Perkins | Director of Marketing | Student Veterans of America
Leadership: Sarah Verardo | Executive Director | The Independence Fund
Employment: Bunker Labs
Community: National Veterans Legal Services Program
Honorary VETTY: Steven D. Vincent | Senior Business Development Manager | tiag® (The Informatics Applications Group, Inc.)
Honorary VETTY: George A. Chewning, II | Director of Governmental Affairs | Global War on Terror Memorial Foundatione Congressional Medal of Honor Society.