The 2nd Annual Salute to America’s Heroes

2025 Indianapolis Patriot of the Year: Jill Fewell

Jill Fewell’s calling is serving others. Jill is not a Veteran but comes from a multi-generational military family all the way back to the American Revolution. Jill’s father, former husband, oldest son, cousins and nephews served. She has personal experience with military life, veterans issues and the pain of losing a loved one due to their service to our country. Jill’s mission is to connect Veterans to their earned benefits and vital resources directly.

Jill has served in many leadership and board positions including the Indianapolis WWII Roundtable Board (9 yrs), the Mayor’s Advisory Council for Veterans Board (10 yrs), Indiana Aviation Board (5 yrs), the Commemorative Air Force Warbird Airshow Team, the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation Honorary Board, Helping Heroes of America Board (7 yrs), and the Dr. Otis Bowen Veterans House Board (10 yrs). Jill is the Regent of the Caroline Scott Harrison DAR Chapter and DAR State Chair for the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration. She has been involved with the Medal of Honor Society for many years and organized naming the Lafayette and Indianapolis Medal of Honor Bridges. She hosted the 101st Airborne Veterans at the 101st Running of the Indy 500.

Jill founded Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans, Inc. non-profit 10 years ago. Their outreach program to find, thank and repay Indiana Vietnam Era Veterans in all 92 Indiana counties created 300 dedicated events. They have honored and presented 20,000 A Time to Honor Vietnam War history books directly to Veterans and spouses of the deceased including directly to VA Hospitals and all Indiana high school and public libraries. Jill organized the State of Indiana Gold Star Families Memorial Monument to be built in the Indiana War Memorials Historic District at 760 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, dedicated on May 1, 2021.

Jill made the “trip of a lifetime” escorting WWII Army Air Corps B-24 Nose gunner hero, Robert Pedigo, to Normandy, France, for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day Ceremony. Bob received the French Legion of Honor from President Macron in front of the whole world that day.

Evening Opener: Old Glory by Evangelo “Vann” Morris

Evangelo “Vann” Morris is a U.S. Navy retired Surface Warfare Officer and Afghanistan deployed Combat Veteran who has traveled to 45 countries and is on a mission to Heal America. His wife (Rita) and three sons are all proud U.S. Veterans. In 2001, Vann and his team seized 14 tons of pure cocaine during a Colombian drug raid – the largest drug bust in U.S. maritime history.

Vann is a former nuclear powered ballistic missile Submariner, with an MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, CA. and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology from the University of Memphis. His last two tours of duty are the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the United States Special Operations Command in Tampa, FL. Parallel with his military career, Vann has been public speaking for 20 years to honor all those who serve our great nation and to teach our children the value of Freedom.

VIP Presenter: Lieutenant (Ret) Mark Greene – US Navy Seal Teams

Lieutenant (Ret.) Mark Greene is a former member of Naval Special Warfare, best known as the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams. He graduated with honors from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Training as part of Class 212 in 1997. Upon completing training, Mark was assigned to SEAL Team FIVE in San Diego, where he deployed twice to the Pacific Theater, conducting Special Operations including missions following the events of September 11.

In 2001, Mark graduated from the Naval Special Warfare Sniper School and went on to execute specialized sniper missions. Following his deployments, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Excelsior College. In January 2004, he achieved a significant milestone by earning a commission as a Navy SEAL Officer. He was then assigned to SEAL Team EIGHT as an Assistant Officer in Charge, deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he conducted sniper missions across the region.

After a successful deployment, Mark was assigned to Special Boat Team TWENTY as the Officer in Charge of a Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery Team (MCADS), deploying again to the Pacific Theater in support of other government agencies conducting special operations. He later pursued higher education, earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with honors from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2008, where he was also recognized with an Outstanding Thesis Award.

Following his graduate studies, Mark returned to SEAL Team EIGHT as Officer in Charge, leading his team on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where they conducted continuous operations over a six-month period. After nearly two decades of service, Mark retired from Naval Special Warfare Group FOUR in 2016.

Post-military, Mark transitioned to a career in higher education, joining the President’s Staff at the University of Southern California (USC). There, he played a pivotal role in supporting Veterans and their families, helping them navigate the challenges of reintegration into civilian life. In 2020, he furthered his education by earning a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from USC.

Today, Mark serves as a Senior Analyst in Corporate Intelligence and Security at Dominion Energy (Virginia). He is also the bestselling author of UNSEALED: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Mastering Life’s Transitions.

Entertainment: Scotty Hastings