Coalition to Salute America's Heroes to Host Pre-Veterans Day Dinner November 8 in San Antonio for Wounded Military from Afghanistan, Iraq Wars

Attendees to each receive $60 Thanksgiving gift check as part of upcoming nationwide distribution   

WILTON, Conn., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly two dozen military service members from Texas who were severely wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq will be treated to a special pre-Veterans Day meal on Tuesday, November 8, when they and their families are guests of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH) for dinner at a San Antonio restaurant.

During the event, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Big Lou's Pizza, 2048 S. WW White Road, each of the service members will also receive a $60 gift check representing contributions made by the CSAH's donors to ensure they enjoy a true Thanksgiving feast later this month. The checks are among 3,000 of equal value that the non-profit organization will be distributing nationwide during the week of Nov. 14 to wounded troops from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

"These checks reflect the enormous gratitude that our many supporters have for the sacrifices endured by the brave men and women who have defended our nation's freedoms in the Middle East the past 10 years," said retired Army Sgt. Jorge DeLeon, a national spokesman for the CSAH and organizer of the dinner.  "Given all that Thanksgiving stands for, it seems like a particularly appropriate time to pay tribute to these heroes and make certain they know their service has not been forgotten."

Many of those expected to attend the dinner are service members currently receiving outpatient treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio where DeLeon is a frequent visitor on behalf of the Connecticut-based CSAH. The center is also where DeLeon himself was a patient after losing his right leg in Afghanistan in 2004 when the vehicle in which he was riding was blown up by a roadside bomb.

Following his recovery, DeLeon became affiliated in 2007 with the CSAH, which is dedicated to providing emergency financial aid and other support services to those disabled in Afghanistan and Iraq. The gift check program, which is just one of the organization's initiatives, has resulted in more than 13,000 checks of varying amounts being distributed since 2005 in conjunction with different annual holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

For more information on the San Antonio dinner or the CSAH, contact the organization's media representative, Chip Warren, at (203) 645-4529 or visit its website at www.saluteheroes.org 

About the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes

The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to helping severely wounded troops from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The mission of the organization is to enable these servicemen and women to transition from the battlefront to the home front and to provide them and their families with the assistance needed to get their lives back on track.

Since it was founded in 2004, the CSAH has partnered with corporate sponsors, individual contributors and volunteers to contribute millions of dollars in aid and support services in more than 21,000 cases. Among the organization's other initiatives is its all-expenses-paid Road to Recovery Conference & Tribute, at which those disabled during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as their families, can attend seminars and job fairs, receive career counseling and evaluations, and hear inspirational success stories.

For more information on how the CSAH can help you or to learn how you can help, please visit the organization's website at www.saluteheroes.org.

SOURCE Coalition to Salute America's Heroes