"It's a silent exodus that Americans can sense - but maybe not quite see. The gradual disappearance of millions of veterans has accelerated rapidly, ushering in an erosion of the nation's social landscape. It's the passing of an era never to be repeated."

In a rigorous review of federal, state, and local census data, Villages Daily Sun reporter Brittany Van Heyningen discovered the arrival of a dramatic demographic shift that would tilt the fulcrum of veteran influence as we know it. I partnered with her on a four-month project to chronicle the issue that encompassed six decades of veteran migration, the collapsing veteran network in the Northeast, the largest expansion of national cemeteries since the Civil War, and the intimate journey of terminally ill veteran Ivan DeBaecke.

This project taught me more about life than I ever realized. Within these veteran's eyes, I saw hope, sorrow, and fear. I glimpsed all of their tomorrows that they sacrificed for our today’s. While on assignment for this project I came across a VFW mailbox, and on the side, it said, "Hello, remember me."

I will never forget… The Greatest Generation.

The resulting special publication, “When We Were Soldiers,” won the following awards: