the Update Winter 2014 FOUNDATION Patriot Foundation Officers and Board Chuck Deleot President and Chairman of the Board oo Express r a g n a K You k n a Th Joe Beck Stan Bradshaw Paul Bricker Mike Girimont Scott Harris Darryl Murch Vallie Rosner Chris Slade Spike Smith Jake Vines Gene Ward Patriot Foundation Board of Advisors GEN Buck Kernan USA, Retired GEN Dan McNeill USA, Retired GEN Lance Smith USAF, Retired LTG John R. Vines USA, Retired MG Chuck Swannack USA, Retired Patriot Ambassadors Wesley Bauguess Vanessa Cole-Brown Ashley Clark Patriot Honorees 2013 GEN Dan Allyn 2012 GEN Dave Rodriguez 2011 GEN Ray Odierno 2010 Honorable John McHugh 2009 GEN Lloyd Austin 2008 ADM Mike Mullen 2007 GEN George Casey 2006 GEN Buck Kernan 2005 MG Chuck Swannack Kangaroo Express - “Salute Our Troops Campaign” Check Presentation 5 November 2013 The check presentations were held 5 Nov at the North Carolina State Capitol. Patriot Foundation was one of four beneficiaries from North Carolina for the summer 2013 Kangaroo Express Support Our Troops (SOT) fundraiser held across 15 states. Pictured above shows the check for $2,700,000, the total raised for all 10 SOT benefitting charities. The photo to the right shows the check presented to Patriot Foundation for $145,000. Pictured are from left to right: Chuck Deleot CAPT USN Ret (President, Patriot Foundation), Nancy Clemons (Director of Marketing, Kangaroo Express), Scott Smith (VP Operations, Kangaroo Express), NC LT. Governor Dan Foster, Cornell Wilson MG USMC Ret (Military Advisor to Governor McCrory), Paul Stoner (Regional Manager, Kangaroo Express), Vallie Rosner LTC USA Ret (VP Administration, Patriot Foundation), and Darryl Murch COL USA Ret (Asst. Treasurer and VP for Compliance, Patriot Foundation).” Taking Care of Those Left Behind • www.PatriotScholarships.com 2013 PATRIOT FOUNDATION SOLDIER APPRECIATION WEEKEND 2013 PRO-AM AT NATIONAL GOLF CLUB 1LT Ben Hawkins and PFC Russell McCornell, both volunteers from the 1-319 Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (AFAR), 3d Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division (Ft. Bragg, NC), standing next to Chuck Deleot provided support over the hole on the 9th green, holding the flag stick on which was flying the American flag. 2013 Champion Mark Bucek accepts trophy from Chuck Deleot, Patriot Foundation President 2013 DINNER AT PINE NEEDLES LODGE “The 11th Annual Patriot’s Soldiers Appreciation Weekend took place September 27-29, 2013. The weekend includes a three-day golf tournament held at National Golf Club in Pinehurst and teams included one touring professional and two amateurs. The winner on the final day of play (professionals only) for the Patriot Senior Invitational Pro-Am award was Champion Mark Bucek. The Soldiers Appreciation Dinner was held nearby at the Pine Needles Lodge Reception Center in Southern Pines which featured a cocktail mixer, singing of the National Anthem by recording artist Jeanne Jolly, performance by the 82nd Airborne All American Chorus, and recognition of military, civic, and business leaders. The Founder of the Patriot Foundation, Spike Smith and his wife Debbie, was honored. They conceived the idea after meeting with former President George Bush at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine in 2003. Spike invited a few friends and golfers over to his house to brainstorm how we could help the families of Ft. Bragg soldiers. His commitment and tireless efforts to help these families has made the Patriot Foundation a success. Finally, the banquet culminated in the presentation of $350,000 to charities benefiting families of Ft. Bragg soldiers killed, wounded, or injured. The guest speaker and Patriot Honoree for 2013 was GEN Dan Allyn, Commanding General of the US Army Forces Command and previous Commanding General of XVIII Airborne Corps and Ft. Bragg. Other dignitaries included a number of senior military officials both active and retired as well as the Honorable Tommy Bolton, Jenny Hartsock from Senator Kay Hagan’s office, and NC Senators Ron Rabin, Louis Pate, and Warren Daniel, as well as John Skvarla, Secretary fo the NC Dept of the Environment and Natural Resources. Page 2 PATRIOT FOUNDATION CORPORATE LEADERS VISIT On Dec. 4th, the Patriot Foundation hosted its semi-annual visit to Ft. Bragg the purpose of which was to introduce corporate executives to Ft. Bragg so that they could see how soldiers live and train and better understand the cost of keeping us all free. The group of 22 corporate executives and members of the Patriot Foundation Management Team and operational volunteers were greeted at XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters by MG Jeff Colt, Deputy Commanding General, and GEN (Retired) Buck Kernan, member of the Patriot Foundation Advisory Board and a former Commanding General of XVIII Airborne Corps and Ft. Bragg. The corporate visitors were from AVL Technologies, the George and Ruth Baxter Foundation, BBT, NC Defense Business Association, Office of Congressman Renee Ellmers, NC Legislature, NC Governor’s Cabinet, Intelsat General Corporation, and Tribeca Hospitality Mash House. At the Corps headquarters, visitors received Patriot Foundation and corporate leaders enjoyed a day of interaction with Ft. Bragg soldiers. The an overview of Ft. Bragg and subordinate units by the major group is pictured in front of the vehicle roll-over simulator, which is one aspect of the Engagement command representatives present. A common theme cited Skill Trainer. The EST2000 is a mult-purpose arms trainer for individual and crew served weapons. throughout each of the briefings was how valuable community support was, specifically about the Patriot Foundation. As one speaker noted, “…the soldier will continue to do whatever required, so long as they know their families will be taken care of…” MG Colt concluded with a comment to the corporate visitors, “tell anyone what a national treasure Ft. Bragg is and what Ft. Bragg does for the Nation.” The second stop along the visit was to the Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) office. Here, visitors listened to first-hand accounts from Gold Star wives and Ambassadors for the Patriot Foundation, Wesley Bauguess and Vanessa Cole-Brown, of how their lives changed since their husbands were killed in the war. Another speaker, Rachel Nolen, who is a beneficiary of the Patriot Foundation, volunteered her story as a widow and she how benefitted from the Patriot Foundation. The newest Ambassador,Ashley Clark, shared her story of how life has changed living with her spouse/soldier who suffered invisible wounds, to include Traumatic Brain Injury, and is awaiting discharge from the military. These stories were so powerfully and positively presented that there was hardly a dry eye in the listening audience. All of these ambassadors clearly conveyed their appreciation of the Patriot Foundation for investing in their children (through the award of scholarship monies) and thereby, investing in our country. The group continued their visit of Ft. Bragg, touring the headquarters of the 82nd Airborne Division and lunch in one of their dining facilities, followed by a visit to a Virtual Training Facility and an extremely interesting range demonstration conducted by a Special Forces unit. Corporate visitors were given demonstrations of various equipment used by the Special Forces and were allowed to live fire two different weapon systems. The final stop was at the Warrior Transition Battalion, where the group had the opportunity to participate in small group discussions with wounded soldiers (and in some cases their parents/caregivers) to learn how they are recovering from major injuries/disabilities. In most cases, these soldiers were being separated from the Army due to the severity of their wounds. The tour concluded with a social at McKellar’s Lodge, an excellent opportunity to chat with senior military and civilians. KING FISHER SOCIETY VISIT Patriot Foundation work is featured in two articles. Thank You for your support. Photos featured in Elite Magazine Last August, a group of wounded warriors from the Ft. Bragg Warrior Transition Battalion were invited to a world-class experience of fishing and hunting at the King Fisher Society in Laurel Hill, NC. Taking Care of Those Left Behind • www.PatriotScholarships.com Page 3 UPDATES - NOW ONLINE: Video Clip of GEN Allyn, 2013 Patriot Honoree In an effort to keep you informed and up-to-date, The Patriot Foundation continues to add content to the website. Newly added items include: video comments from GEN Allyn the 2013 Honoree (photo at left); video presentation to Founder Spike Smith; photos from the 2013 Patriot Soldier’s Appreciation Dinner (photo at right); Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ); just to mention a few. Please share with any corporate contacts that you think may be interested in supporting our mission. Visit our website: patriotscholarships.com OurMilitary.mil GuideStar is one of 4 nationally recognized non-profit rating organizations. The Gold Level indicates that Patriot Foundation operates with the highest standard of non-profit transparency. -G VE A TREE SA The Patriot Foundation has satisfied the criteria to be listed as a Community Resource on the Office of the Secretary of Defense OurMilitary.mil website identifying citizen support to service members, veterans, and their family members. Charities listed on this website are a select group. Recieve “The Update” via email. o Green If you wish to receive your periodic newsletter via your email instead of a mailed copy, please send your email address to: PatriotFoundation@nc.rr.com CORPORATE PARTNERS Design, printing and distributed by Village Printers of Pinehurst. villageprinters.com Page 4 the Mission Provide support for the families of Ft. Bragg Airborne and Special Operations Soldiers, and other selected warriors. the Vision To provide scholarship funding and child aid for children of killed and wounded/injured soldiers from Ft. Bragg, NC, as well as other selected warriors; additionally, to provide funding for child care for the families of fallen and disabled soldiers whose surviving spouses need to obtain additional job training and development. All volunteers, the Patriot Foundation officers have two objectives: (1) increase our ability to help soldiers families, and (2) publicly honor the service of our elite soldiers who are serving and dying to protect our nation. Helping over 720 families with $2,500,000 million since 2003 Taking Care of Those Left Behind • www.PatriotScholarships.com