One of the nation's most recognizable charities for wounded veterans reportedly spends as much money on lavish conferences and parties as it does on services and programs.
According to a CBS News report, which aired Tuesday with a follow-up Wednesday, spending by the Wounded Warriors charity on conferences and meetings went from $1.7 million in 2010, to $26 million in 2014 — about the same amount the organization lays out for combat stress recovery, its top program.
The charity brought in more than $300 million in donations in 2014, CBS News reports.
"Their mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, but what the public doesn't see is how they spend their money," Army Staff Sergeant and Purple Heart recipient Erick Millette, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after his service in Iraq in 2006, tells CBS News.
Millette was hired as a public speaker for the Wounded Warrior Project in 2013 but quit after two years, CBS News reports.
"You're using our injuries, our darkest days, our hardships, to make money. So you can have these big parties," he told CBS News.
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6 comments:
there are enough military volunteers out there,that there should not be any salaried positions the money collected is for that veteran who is in need of help 67% goes to payroll and advertising ,and there are several americans and networks who would offer free air time for such a cause regretfully i cancelled my donation until the vet receives more than that 33% God bless America and semper fi to all you veterans out there,especially my brothers in arms,the mighty United Stat es Marine Corps
Most "charities" do the same, if not worse. All for the money.
I have been involved with a local Wounded Warrior program, not affiliated with Wounded Warrior Project. We were told to change our logo or give them all of our fundraising money and they would give us back for our program what they thought we should have. Needless to say we changed our logo.
We had one warrior who did some searching on the National Wounded Warrior Project and came up with some incredible discrepancies with how they spent money...mansions for the executives was just one of them. And then to top it off, this same warrior, who is an Army double below the knee amputee, got his hunting wheel chair with every update that comes out from the Marine Corp League because the National Wounded Warrior Project turned him down.
If you want to help our wounded warriors' then the best way to do that is to support your local programs. There is one at American Legion #64 in Salisbury, Wounded Warrior Weekend, and I know there are a couple American Legions' and VFW's in Ocean City and Berlin who have local programs going. I'm sure if you call your local American Legion or VFW they can direct you to a local program.
Our wounded soliders and veterans deserve to come home to better than what our Vietnam Veterans came home too!!!
It is very simple people.
#1 Find a disabled VET (they are everywhere).
check with churches or VFW etc.
#2 Adopt the vet and his family.
#3 Show up on a regular basis and help.
You don't have to be wealthy to help someone.
We need to FORCE the government to take care of those who help exterminate the Muslims in the lands near Israel.
They do not need to be relying on the "generosity" of citizens to donate money for their care.
Now we find lucrative spending by those who are supposed to be helping?
Terrible.
The Veterans agency is overwhelmed by the work load. Veterans go bankrupt or worse while waiting a decision. Too many suicides. I am watching a situation with a local veteran today...waiting to see if they do what they have promised to do before this mans world falls apart completely. All I can do is watch....but if he dies because of all this .....it will be made known here.
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