Special Opportunity in 2014

We have some very special news for 2014-a Sharing an American Story" European Cruise and Tour!

As you know, we established the General George S. Patton Scholarship of Honor in Plzen, Czech Republic. It is awarded during the Liberation Festival which every May celebrates the liberation of Plzen by General Patton and US Third Army in 1945.

And thanks to Foundation board member Bob Nueske and WLUK-Fox 11 News we brought you the documentary "Sharing an American Story" about Plzen's 2013 Liberation Festival, its citizens and Brian's Foundation. 


"Sharing an American Story" which premiered at our special event on 11.12.13, has inspired a very special idea-  the "Sharing an American Story" Cruise and Tour for Brian's Foundation members and World War II veterans, their families and friends to the 2014 Plzen Liberation Festival so that all can have the chance to experience the joyful reality of "Sharing an American Story". 

Join a wonderful community and heroic World War II veterans as guests of honor at the Plzen Liberation Festival. Be there when the General George S. Patton Scholarship of Honor is awarded. Plzen and its citizens will really appreciate our coming and make us feel so welcome. You will make new friends, get a unique insight into their way of life and truly understand how and why their American liberation in World War II is so important to them. 

On the way to Plzen, we have a wonderful six-day Danube river cruise visiting some of Europe's finest cities. Starting from Hungary's capital Budapest on April 27,we cruise via Slovakia's capital Bratislava to Austria's capital Vienna, through the World Heritage Wachau to medieval Regensburg in Germany. Then we disembark and drive via Hitler's Third Reich Nuremberg cross-country in the footsteps of Patton's Third Army over the Czech border to Plzen. After all the excitement of the 2014 Plzen Liberation Festival, we finally arrive in the beautiful historic Czech capital Prague, where we hope to have a Farewell Grand Reception with the US Ambassador on on May 7.

Our Danube cruise ship will be the upscale Austrian 'Amadeus Royal'. Go to www.amadeuscruises.com  and view the 'Amadeus Royal' in the "Fleet" section. The major US tour operator Gate 1 has chartered it, and you can see a good explanatory video on YouTube, called "The Gate 1 River Cruise Experience". This gives you a real feel for our cruise and features many of the places we will visit like Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Melk, the Wachau, Regensburg and Nuremberg. Most of the video features the cruise ship 'Amadeus Symphony'. But our 'Amadeus Royal' is exactly the same, just two years younger! 


Patrick Hinchy
We are fortunate to have Patrick Hinchy as our Tour Director. Multilingual Patrick has a master's degree from Oxford University and is one of the most experienced and expert guides of World War II veterans tours in Europe. He met Doug LaViolette and Bob Nueske at a previous Pilsen Liberation Festival and as a result became very interested in Brian's Foundation, admired what it had achieved and wanted to support it. 

As an expert Tour Director, Patrick offered to create, plan and organize this "Sharing an American Story" Cruise and Tour and to make a generous personal private donation to Brian's Foundation.

 For more details and full itinerary, booking and payment details of the Brian LaViolette Foundation 'Sharing an American Story" Danube Cruise and Tour to Plzen Liberation Festival and Prague April 27-May8, 2014, go to MilSpec Tours  www.gomilspec.com. MilSpec Tours is a reputable, long established specialist veterans tour operator. Its CEO Butch Sincock is a decorated Vietnam veteran and Executive Director of the 25th Infantry Division Association. 

If you want to join our "Sharing an American Story" Cruise and Tour, please don't delay booking. Patrick cannot take more than 40 people but needs a minimum of 20 for it to take place. The earlier you book, the greater your choice of cabins on our cruise ship, the 'Amadeus Royal'. Finally, if you book during January, you will receive a $700 discount.  

 Click here for Cruise Brochure and how you can join Milspec Tours on the once-in-a-lifetime trip!

Kim LaViolette

The Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation is proud to have received the highest possible rating on Charity Navigator. 

This four-star rating designates Brian’s Foundation as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria.