NORFOLK -- Thousands of severely wounded and disabled Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are getting a little help with their Thanksgiving meals this year.
For the second year in a row, the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH) and The American Legion joined forces to mail out 2,000 gift checks worth $60 each. It's in an effort to ensure these wounded heroes are able to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with their families.
"This charity is a blessing. Families who are caring for a wounded warrior have a lot to deal with, some financially and some psychologically. Thanks to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, Thanksgiving dinner will be one less worry for several families," said Margie Hennessey, a Navy reservist from Hampton.
Hennessey is among the local service members to receive a Thanksgiving check this year. She was in the last two months of her deployment while on active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, when she was diagnosed with cancer. She was medically evacuated back to the states for treatment. She was released from active duty and returned to reserve status in May of this year. She's spending the cash on a Thanksgiving feast with her daughter and granddaughter in North Carolina.
"The thinking behind the amount was that it would cover the cost of the turkey and some of the basic fixings, so that someone that's struggling to make ends meet and struggling to pay the bills can have a family Thanksgiving," explained former Marine corporal Donny Daughenbaugh, himself an injured Iraq war veteran who now serves as a spokesman for CSAH.
In addition to the joint initiative with The American Legion, the Coalition will be providing an additional 1,000 checks to severely wounded servicemembers listed in the organization's own records.
Daughenbaugh tells 13NEWS, "We seek them out and we use every possible avenue and every network to gather names so that we can just surprise them, and it's our way of saying 'thank you.'"
Daughenbaugh says the Coalition cannot help these wounded and disabled veterans without the support of individual contributors. He said the non-profit has been dedicated to providing emergency financial aid and other support services to those injured in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom since 2004. In all, they've aided in more than 21,000 cases.
To learn more about The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, call them toll free at 1-888-44-SALUTE or click on this link.
