David Stewart, a retired Army sergeant major, shows off his President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteerism at his home in Bad Berneck, Germany, on Nov. 20, 2024. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — U.S. Army veteran David Stewart has worked with presidents, famous musicians and movie stars, but his dedication to helping military retirees and spouses in Germany reap the fruits of prior service is what stands out most to many.

At 83 years old, the former military broadcaster and public affairs officer supports 1,300 retired soldiers in the Grafenwoehr area, home to U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, and has helped dozens of German widows navigate U.S. government bureaucracy to receive much-needed benefits.

Earlier this month, Stewart received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the pinnacle of a four-level program that recognizes Americans who devote a certain number of hours to volunteer work. The award given to Stewart requires at least 4,000 volunteer hours.

“It’s a nice cap for all these years,” Stewart said. “I feel like I’ve done something.”

David Stewart, left, poses for a photo with his son Chris, right, and Donald Malarkey of “Band of Brothers” fame in Salem, Ore., on Sept. 11, 2001. A recent recipient of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Stewart supported producers at the premiere of the acclaimed HBO miniseries in France. (David Stewart)

Stewart has logged 6,812 official hours in the Volunteer Management Information System since 2009, he said. This doesn’t count a further 1,200 hours he accumulated in Grafenwoehr before they were recorded, as well as an untold number of unofficial hours.

Stewart joined the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria Retiree Council in 2003 and began to focus on assisting veterans and their families. Many soldiers marry Germans and live locally but don’t prepare their surviving spouse to obtain entitlements after they die.

That assistance has made the difference between comfort and poverty for many, said Gilbert Clarke, a retired sergeant first class from Nuremberg who also works with families.

German spouses often have trouble completing U.S. government and commercial forms because they don’t speak enough English, lack computer skills or are unaware of what they are entitled to, a garrison statement said.

Stewart has spent up to a year with some spouses, planning funerals and guiding them on how to obtain retirement, life insurance, social security or disability benefits earned by their U.S. veteran partner.

Bayreuth resident Helga Kohlmann, 84, lost her husband, retired Master Sgt. Karl Kohlmann, in 2017. Stewart helped get military honors for the funeral, including an Army band, and her husband’s Social Security and annuity payments.

“I would’ve been lost. I’m very grateful,” Kohlmann said.

David Stewart, seen here in 1976 as an Army sergeant first class, worked at the American Forces Network radio station in Bremerhaven, Germany. (David Stewart)

Stewart, a natural-born Canadian citizen, had little trouble with the paperwork when he immigrated to the United States in 1960, but he can certainly relate to being a fish out of water.

He had trouble understanding the accents of his fellow trainees at basic and didn’t know about American Thanksgiving or college football.

While growing up near Toronto, he had aspired to be in radio. He was told the Army trained broadcasters for the American Forces Network.

Initially sent to Bavaria, he spent seven years as a medical records specialist before joining AFN in 1968. His first interview in Bremerhaven was the Bee Gees. He would go on to meet the Jackson 5, Tiny Tim, Johnny Cash, Petula Clark and others.

“I couldn’t pay for this ride,” he said of his life.

David Stewart, second from right, then an American Forces Network radio personality, interviews recording artist Tiny Tim, far left, at the Radio Bremen television studio in Bremen, Germany, around 1971. (David Stewart)

Former President Bill Clinton addresses a D-Day commemoration ceremony audience June 6, 1994, in the Normandy region of France, while at right master of ceremonies David Stewart looks on. (David Stewart)

Stewart left AFN in 1979 and joined Army public affairs in Heidelberg, staying on as a civilian after his retirement in 1985. The longtime history buff had taken several trips to the Normandy region of France to learn about the D-Day invasion during World War II.

He was tapped to lead the Army public affairs team in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of the Normandy beach landings. He also coordinated events for subsequent anniversaries and moderated forums for presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

David Stewart, right, chats with Tom Hanks at the "Band of Brothers" premiere at Utah Beach in the Normandy region of France on June 6, 2001. (David Stewart)

In 2001, he spent six months supporting HBO, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, working with French reporters ahead of the Normandy premiere of the acclaimed miniseries “Band of Brothers,” which depicts Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Stewart described Hanks as a gentleman who had “tremendous respect for veterans.” Hanks, along with Spielberg, created and produced the show.

Stewart also befriended one of the men depicted in the show, Donald Malarkey, and was visiting his home in Salem, Ore., when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

The volunteerism awards program that would eventually count Stewart among its honorees was established by then-President George W. Bush in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Stewart recently had to reduce his involvement because of age and family commitments. Jerimiah Wildermuth, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and member of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Council, has stepped up to assist in his stead.

Friends say it’s fitting that Stewart’s efforts have continued on to ensuring the spirit of helping others endures beyond his own work in the community.

“He has made it a priority to continue finding retired soldier volunteers to fill key leadership positions in support of the local retiree council,” said Dave Fulton, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and president of the Europe and Africa council.