Called to Serve: Stories from Courage Can Save Us
Ford’s Theatre presents an in-person conversation about the courage, sacrifice and commitment of people who answered the call to serve after 9/11. Author Rye Barcott will draw on his book *Courage Can Save Us* while speaking with Congressman Don Bacon, William Braniff and Phyllis J. Wilson about how ordinary people can be moved toward extraordinary lives of service.
The discussion will explore military and community service, bravery, quiet determination and the ways pivotal moments can reshape a person’s life. It is intended as an opportunity to remember those who served, honor their contributions and reflect on the capacity for hope and collective action.
When: October 6, 2026.
Showtime: 6 p.m. ET.
Venue: Ford’s Theatre.
Format: In person.
Tickets: Free.
Registration: Registration is required.
Accessibility: The event is identified as accessible.
Lineup: Rye Barcott will appear with Congressman Don Bacon, William Braniff and Phyllis J. Wilson.
Rye Barcott: Barcott is a Marine Corps veteran, social entrepreneur, investor and *New York Times* bestselling author. He co-founded and leads With Honor, a cross-partisan organization that supports principled veterans seeking public office. As a college student, he co-founded CFK Africa, a youth leadership organization in Nairobi, Kenya, and he later co-founded the solar investment firm Double Time Capital. His earlier book, *It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace*, examines the relationship between humanitarian and military service. Dartmouth College awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
Congressman Don Bacon: Bacon represents Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. A retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, he served nearly 30 years on active duty and commanded Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. In Congress, he has focused on national security, veterans’ affairs, agriculture and cybersecurity. He serves on the House Armed Services and House Agriculture committees and chairs the Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation. He and his wife, Angie, have been married for more than 40 years and have four children and eight grandchildren.
William Braniff: Braniff is executive director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab and a research assistant professor in the Department of Justice, Law, and Criminology at American University’s School of Public Affairs. He previously directed the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he oversaw a public health-informed approach to preventing targeted violence and terrorism. Before that, he led the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism and served as a professor of the practice at the University of Maryland.
Phyllis J. Wilson: Wilson is a Chief Warrant Officer 5 and a 37-year veteran of the U.S. Army. She served as an intelligence officer with the Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command in Iraq, while also working as a registered nurse during 16 years in the Army Reserve. She studied German and Spanish at the Defense Language Institute, holds two master’s degrees and has completed military parachute jumps. She is a member of both the Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame and the U.S. Veterans Hall of Fame. Wilson is president of the Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, the nation’s major memorial dedicated to the more than three million women who have defended the United States from the American Revolution through today.
Run time: Not specified.
Age guidance: Not specified.
Note: The event’s related programming is supported by the Come From Away Commemorative Committee, with President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush as honorary chairs and Anita and Tim McBride as committee chairs.