Send a Thanksgiving Thank You meal to a severely wounded serviceman

Please donate now Dear Patriotic American, I'm Major General John K. Singlaub, U.S. Army (Ret.). I've commanded our brave soldiers in three wars, and today I'm proud to be working with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, which provides emergency financial aid and other support services to our troops who have been severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq. Can a severely wounded serviceman and his family count on you to make a tax-deductible donation to help provide financially strapped military families with $60 to buy groceries, or even go out to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner? Over the past three Thanksgiving holidays, the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes has sponsored the Thanksgiving "Thank You" Meals Project, to provide money for meals for the families of our troops who have been severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq. I hope these heroes can count on you this year to make a tax-deductible donation to the Thanksgiving "Thank You" Meals Project, sponsored by the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. Your gift can help provide these financially strapped military families with $60 to buy groceries, or even go out to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. So far the Coalition's patriotic donors have responded with emergency financial aid to more than 11,400 requests from our severely wounded troops and their families. In the process we have provided our disabled heroes with more than $22 million to avoid utility cutoffs, evictions, home foreclosures and other financial crises, as well as to provide them with food, clothes and other support services. Your kindness is needed more than ever now because of the breakdown of the VA disability claims system. Because of this breakdown, disabled troops are waiting an average of six months to receive their first VA disability check after leaving the hospital and being discharged from the service. Many of the spouses of our wounded troops have quit their jobs to take care of them. And now, with the national unemployment rate at nearly 10 percent, many spouses who are able to work have lost their jobs as well. No wonder these military families are having trouble putting food on the table! If you've been following the news you're aware there's been an increase in the number of GIs wounded in Afghanistan. That's why I also invite you to send a greeting card to a disabled American hero right now. Your Thanksgiving THANK YOU and GET WELL card could help lift the spirits of a wounded serviceman or woman sitting in their hospital bed after returning from overseas (or another military veteran). This Thanksgiving you could be helping a retired serviceman like Walton Calhoun of Georgia, who told us he's "disabled and unable to work" after injuries suffered during a mortar attack in Iraq. Walton tells us: "Just trying to buy food and pay rent is difficult." Or maybe someone like Jason Brunson, whose photo you see above. While serving with the Army in Iraq, Jason suffered severe frontal lobe brain injuries in a rocket attack. Jason and his family were on the verge of eviction and could barely scrape up enough money for food when the Coalition and its donors stepped in. "If it had not been for the assistance of the Coalition, we probably would have been homeless," he says. That's just not right!  And as a patriotic American I'm sure you agree. The good news is you can let a wounded hero like Walton or Jason know you respect and honor the painful sacrifice they've made by helping to provide their family with Thanksgiving meals. Your tax-deductible gift can help the Coalition provide $60 for a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings for one severely wounded GI and his or her family, or $120 to help feed two families, or $180 to provide dinner for three families, and so on. And your gift of $15, $25 or $35 can be combined with other donations to feed a family in need. Let's face it: You and I can't heal their physical injuries or make them whole again. (No one can.) But by helping to provide their families with money for Thanksgiving meals you can thank them for the sacrifice they've made while protecting your family's freedom. God bless you and may you enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving, Major General John K. Singlaub U.S. Army (Ret.) P.S. As I mentioned, many of troops who have been severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq will have trouble putting food on the table this Thanksgiving, and they desperately need your help. Because of a breakdown in the VA disability claims system, disabled servicemen and women are waiting an average of six months to get their first disability check after leaving the hospital and being discharged from the service. Please send them a Thanksgiving THANK YOU and GET WELL card to let them know you honor their sacrifice. And I hope you will make a tax-deductible donation to the Thanksgiving "Thank You" meals project to help feed the family of a severely burned, blinded or paralyzed serviceman or woman who has made painful sacrifices while defending your freedom. (Maybe even someone near you.)