The Evening of Honor is the Army Heritage Center Foundation’s premier annual event, bringing together veterans, military leaders, elected officials, community stakeholders, and supporters of Army history for an evening of recognition, connection, and shared purpose.
2026 carries a weight and a meaning that sets this Evening of Honor apart.
This October, we come together in the shadow of a solemn milestone, the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, and in the presence of two honorees whose lives embody what that anniversary asks of us: not only to remember, but to carry what we remember forward.
Senator Dave McCormick wore this nation’s uniform, led soldiers in combat, and has spent the decades since in continued service to the country he defended. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was born from loss on the worst morning in a generation and has never stopped working to ensure that loss means something — for the families left behind, for the young people who weren’t yet born, and for a nation that must never mistake remembrance for a passive act.
The Army Heritage Center Foundation exists at precisely this intersection — between memory and mission, between the history we preserve and the values we pass forward. We hope you will join us on October 24th, not only to celebrate two extraordinary honorees, but to be part of an evening that honors the fullest meaning of service.
The Army Heritage Center Foundation Presents:
The 19th Annual Evening of Honor
When: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 6:00 pm
Where: Penn Harris Hotel and Conference Center
Living Legend Award Recipient: Senator David McCormick
Boots on the Ground Recipient: Tunnel to Towers Foundation
Dress: Civilian: Cocktail and Active-Duty: service uniforms with awards and decorations.
Tickets are on sale, $100.00 for members and $125.00 for non-members.
Tickets sales will close on Friday, October 9, 2026.
LI
VING LEGEND AWARD
Senator Dave McCormick
Some lives of service have a single defining chapter. Senator Dave McCormick’s has several, and each one builds on the last.
Born and raised in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, McCormick attended West Point, earning a degree in mechanical engineering before attending Ranger School, where he was named the Honor Graduate. He joined the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg as a paratrooper and was part of the first wave of U.S. troops deployed to Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991, earning the Bronze Star for his actions. He left the Army as a Captain, but service, for McCormick, was never something he left behind.
After the Army, McCormick earned his Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton University, then built a career in business before being called to government service in 2005, including as Under Secretary of Treasury and as Deputy National Security Advisor, where he spearheaded the fight to protect American technology from Chinese theft, advised the President on key national security issues, and helped negotiate the global response to the 2008 financial crisis. He later became CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest investment firms, before returning to Pennsylvania to enter public life. In 2024, he defeated three-term Democratic incumbent Bob Casey Jr. in a race that drew national attention, and today serves as one of only two West Point graduates currently in the United States Senate.
The Army Heritage Center Foundation’s Living Legend Award recognizes those whose service illustrates both individual and collective excellence in the history and heritage of the U.S. Army. Senator McCormick’s story, from the fields of Bloomsburg to the battlefields of Iraq, from the corridors of the White House to the halls of the Senate, is precisely the kind of life this award was created to honor.
BOOTS ON THE GROUND AWARD
Tunnel to Towers Foundation
On the morning of September 11, 2001, FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller was off duty and driving home when the call came. He parked his car outside the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, strapped on 60 pounds of gear, and ran toward the South Tower of the World Trade Center, where he gave his life. His body was never recovered. He was 34 years old.
His brother Frank Siller refused to let that story end there. Founded in Stephen’s memory, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has spent the last 25 years turning one act of extraordinary courage into a sustained national commitment. The Foundation provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families and the families of fallen first responders, supports catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, and carries the memory of September 11 into classrooms and communities across America through its Never Forget educational programs and its traveling 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit.
In 2026, the 25th anniversary year of September 11, Tunnel to Towers is embarking on the most comprehensive commemoration in its history, including the Steel Across America tour, transporting a nearly
16,000-pound beam from the World Trade Center’s South Tower across more than 10,000 miles to dozens of communities across the country, offering Americans a tangible connection to one of the most defining days in our national life. “Twenty-five years ago, our nation faced its darkest day,” said Chairman and CEO Frank Siller, “but in that darkness, we witnessed the brightest examples of courage, sacrifice, and love.”
The Army Heritage Center Foundation’s Boots on the Ground Award honors organizations whose work in the field—day after day, year after year—reflects the very best of the American spirit of service. There is no more fitting recipient in this anniversary year than the organization Stephen Siller’s memory built.
2026 Evening of Honor Dinner Sponsors
Event Sponsor
Lombardo Family Foundation
Gold Sponsor
Reception and Toast Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Table Sponsor
- COL Robert DeSousa, USA Retired/ Eckert Seamans
- James Ottevaere
- Outlaw Media
- Cold Spark
- Katie McHenry
- Nancy Gessner
- PA Bankers
- Julie & Justin Germany
- BG George Smawley, USA Retired
Partner with us Today!
The Army Heritage Center Foundation offers an array of collaborative partnership options throughout the year. By partnering with us, you can:
- Build your own culture of family legacy of generosity by providing a platform for veterans to tell their stories and preserving those stories for future generations.
- Establish thought leadership with influential national and international decision-makers in both the private and public sectors.
- Increase exposure and brand engagement for your organization within our supporter and participant community of veterans, service members, and military families.
- Drive tourism and investment in the Carlisle area and the Cumberland Valley.
Please see below for current sponsorship opportunities for this event – if you would like to connect about next steps, please reach out to Emily Hughes at adminassist@armyheritage.org.
Sponsorships are available at the following levels:
Presenting Sponsor: $10,000
Gold Sponsor: $5,000
Auction and Reception Sponsor: $7,500
Silver Sponsor: $3,500
Bronze Sponsor: $2,500
Table Sponsor: $1,500