On Veterans Day, we honor the living.  There is a special group of living veterans that we, members of the Desoto Province, honor.  These are amputees at Camp Lejeune and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

These men and women are now hospitalized and undergoing treatment for their war injuries and they will be there over the Christmas holiday period.  We send them home to be with their families.

For the last five years, the Knights of Columbus Assemblies within the DeSoto Province have raised money through pancake breakfasts, events, fund raisers and collections from  parishioners.  We do this through the Wounded Warriors Program and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.  The Military Order of the Purple Heart has been matching each dollar with a dollar.

Knights at St. Thomas More Church (Chapel Hill) and Holy Cross  Church (Durham) will collect donations after each mass on Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13th. Please be generous.

Our first year helped under 100 soldiers and marines.  Last year we helped 303, then, on December 19th, a new plane load arrived from the Middle East with  60 wounded and 17 dead.  We dug into our pockets and one donor made one exceptionally large gift to help us come up with more funds to take care of the additional 60 and a total of 363 went home.

These year we are looking to raise $400,000 from our churches in North and South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico.  All donations are tax deductible.  Make your checks payable to the Military Order of the Purple Heart.  Add a notation that the check is for the Wounded Warriors Amputee Project.  The Military Order of the Purple Heart will provide you with a card of thanks and receipt for your gift.

Watch a WTVD-TV, ABC 11, broadcast that honored Sir Knight Robert Singer and this important project. Just click here.