Disney salutes service members in newest special
For more than a century, Disney has stood with America's military members, veterans and their families.
From Walt and Roy Disney's service to employment programs, special events and life-changing initiatives, Disney's commitment to the veteran community continues to endure.
Disney Salutes: A Celebration of Service honors America's military members, veterans and their families, reflecting on some of their inspiring stories of service and sacrifice.
Beginning with founders Walt and Roy Disney's own service, Disney's admiration for military service members runs deep and is ingrained into the very heart of the company.
Throughout the 20th century, the brothers and the company maintained this dedication, supplying artwork and encouragement to troops during WWII, and later even providing the work of Disney animators to create the mascot of the 3d Infantry Division, Rocky the Bulldog.
Since those earlier years, the company's dedication to recognizing the importance of our service members has only grown. Just last year, Disney surprised a few lucky veterans with the gift of a lifetime — a trip to Walt Disney World.
Veteran Joseph Worley was one of them.
Worley has truly spent his life in dedication of service to others; first as a Navy Corpsman during the Iraq War, then as an advocate for nonprofit America's VetDogs and finally, as a devoted foster and adoptive parent alongside his wife, Angel.
Worley's trip to Walt Disney World coincided with Veteran's Day, making the experience all the more emotional and meaningful to him and his whole family.
Walt Disney World has played a huge role in Disney's efforts to champion veterans with ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex serving as the host of the 2022, 2024 and upcoming 2027 Warrior Games, an annual multi-sport competition celebrating the resilience of wounded, ill and injured service members.
For veteran Lorraine Currow, these games have given her the chance to give back to her fellow service members and help them in their recovery journeys after she battled her own serious injury. The Army Recovery Program first introduced Currow to the Warrior Games, eventually leading her to the incredible feat of competing for Ultimate Champion under the Navy team.
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Just last year, as the country celebrated its 250th birthday, Disney also made a renewed commitment to Blue Star Families, a nonprofit building community for military and veteran families with a $2.5M investment. To mark the occasion, a group of military families were treated to a screening of Toy Story 5 which ended with an even bigger surprise — tickets to Disneyland for everyone in the audience.
Since 2012, Disney has also been proud to champion the Heroes Work Here Fellowship program, a company-wide initiative dedicated to hiring, training, and supporting U.S. military veterans. The program aims to help veterans navigate the often-challenging transition back to civilian life, and celebrate the contributions veterans can make to the workforce at Disney and beyond.
Another way that Disney honors its veterans is with a flag retreat ceremony, a long standing tribute to the armed forces at the Disney parks. This year, 101-year-old veteran E. Royce Williams visited Disneyland to receive an honorary "Citizen of Disneyland" plaque — he was also presented with the folded US flag at the end of the ceremony, recognizing his status as U.S. Armed Forces Representative of the Day.
On Veterans Day, an especially unique flag retreat ceremony takes place at Disney Parks with an emotional salute specifically honoring Disney cast members who have served in uniform.
Watch Disney Salutes: A Celebration of Service to learn more about how Disney supports America's military members, veterans and their families.
To learn more about Disney's Heroes Work Here Fellowship program head to heroesworkhere.disney.com.
