Legion feeds wounded warriors, families

On June 28, The American Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) program helped feed and entertain hundreds of injured servicemembers and their families during a special day at Fort Knox.

Representatives from the Department of Kentucky and National Headquarters attended the Fort Knox Warrior Transition Battalion Organization Day – a day filled with activities for the wounded servicemembers and their families, including a car and motorcycle show, as well as a dunk tank, jump house and face-painting for children. OCW provided 135 pounds each of cole slaw, macaroni salad and potato salad, and around 500 cookies and 300 bags of potato chips for the lunchtime cookout.

"It was a good day of fellowship for the Legion to show our support for these guys and their families," said James Ellison, the Legion’s OCW coordinator.

OCW is a fundraising program that turns 100 percent of donations into gifts for wounded servicemembers and assists others in the Heroes to Hometowns program. Previous gifts have included special clothing for burn victims, sports and fitness equipment for adaptive therapy programs, and entertainment items such as DVDs, CDs and art supplies.

More than $600,000 has been raised since National Commander Jim Koutz announced that OCW would be his main fundraising program during his tenure. His initial goal of $500,000 was raised to $750,000 during the 2013 Spring Meetings in May. The deadline to meet that goal is by National Convention in August.