Honorary Board Member Burt Reynolds

The National Veterans Foundation honors the memory of Burt Reynolds (1936 – 2018). Though not a veteran himself, Reynolds was a staunch advocate for veterans. He joined our honorary board in the late nineties. Reynolds was a close friend of Charles Durning, a WWII veteran who served on Normandy Beach. Durning joined our honorary board in 1994. It was through Durning that we came to know Burt. We have Marine vet Dan Lauria to thank for the introduction to Durning and ultimately Reynolds.

But that wasn’t the only connection. Reynolds was involved with the Seminole Tribe in Florida, becoming a spokesman for their gaming facilities in the late nineties. The Seminole Tribe did a number of fundraisers for the NVF through Reynolds. NVF President Shad Meshad said, “It was a time when a lot of celebrities were concerned about the plight of Vietnam veterans, and Burt was a huge supporter. We’ll miss him.