About Veteran Vacations

Veteran Vacations is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Corey Capwell, a Gulf War veteran of the US Navy.

Corey comes from an Army family that saw his father drafted during the Vietnam War and his grandfather enlist during World War II.

Corey joined the Navy soon after graduating from Waverly (NY) High School to earn money for college. He earned an Associate of Arts and Sciences (AAS) degree in Laboratory Medicine from Alfred (NY) State College in 1990, and was 100 percent qualified in his rating 8506 (Advanced Lab Technician).

Due to a shortage of lab technicians in active duty, it didn’t take long for Corey to receive orders for Operation Desert Storm, mobilizing with Fleet Hospital 21 on January 18, 1991. They would become Fleet Hospital 15 upon arrival in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Corey’s experience at Fleet Hospital 15 came under Lt. Cmdr. R. Michael Dash, a native of Buffalo (NY) who ran the American Red Cross blood processing station there. Lt. Cmdr. Dash offered Corey a job there when they returned stateside, and Corey accepted.

In addition to his Desert Storm experience, Corey has served at a number of Naval Reserve Center locations:

• NRC Horseheads, New York
• NRC Buffalo, New York
• NRC Erie, Pennsylvania
• NRC South Bend, Indiana

He has completed training or worked at:

• Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland
• Marine Corps Naval Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina
• Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia

Corey continues to work in the medical field. He and his wife, Kim, reside in Apollo Beach, Florida.

“My desire is to have the veteran come home with hope for the future, and future vacations.” – Corey Capwell