On October 19,2023, our Salute to American Heroes 10 featured an internationally-known Wounded/Recovering Veteran, former Corporal, 1st Royal British Gurkha Rifles Regiment, Hari Budha Magar, as our Special Guest — he climbed Mt. Everest on May 19, 2023, on prosthetic legs. He is an inspiration to all who doubt themselves, who have disabilities and and/or feel they cannot achieve certain things and anyone who just needs some inspiration! Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon brought Hari and his family from England for the event. EmpireCLS donated a dedicated driver to show Hari and his family around New York City and New Jersey. It was an amazing few days.
Hari Budha Magar is shown here in New York City holding an “I Climbed Mt. Everest” flag, which he signed for EmpireCLS for their kindness.For those wishing to learn more about Hari, you can visit his Facebook page.
Our fabulous EMCEE and Auctioneer was Karl Nelson.
Our terrific EMCEE, Auctioneer and Sports Director is former NY Giant Super Bowl Champion, Karl Nelson (#63). Karl is also an Ambassador for AaSP and we’re so proud of the job he does! This picture is from last year’s “day after” trip to MetLife Stadium, where our special attendees got a personal tour of the stadium, the field and even the locker room that most people never see, thanks to Karl.
Salute to American Heroes is made possible through the generous support of the following companies, organizations, Benefactors and Patrons:
Thanks to everyone who attended and most especially, those who supported this event with donations, ads, auction items and services.
. . . First, we started with great hors d’ouvres and beverages
. . . Then, we had a prayer from Fr. Jason Mantich, Pledge of Allegiance by Commander Pam Klepac-Tulensru, the National Anthem by Lauren D’Imperio – all the while we had a 20’x30′ American Flag that had flown under the outdoor portico outside the emergency room of Craig Joint Theater Hospital at the former Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan
. . . We introduced our Special Guest, Hari Budha Magar, wounded British Royal Gurkha Rifles fighter, who was the first double above-the-knee amputee to summit Mt. Everest, world’s tallest mountain, on 19 May 2023. We played a video and Hari gave the audience a great rundown of his life before and after being blown up in Afghanistan in 2010, including the latest unimaginable achievement of summiting Everest. Hari told us he could only climb about 1/3rd the speed/time of a non-disabled climber. That in itself left Hari and his dedicated team out almost 3x longer on the mountain. Before and after Hari spoke, attendees took the opportunity to have him autograph their program, take a picture in front of the “Hari Nothing is Impossible” step and repeat banner or just chat with this “Champion of Humanity.” Especially our wounded/recovering Veterans who were inspired by his ‘Conquer Your Dreams’ mentality.
. . . Our VP Wounded Care, Mary-Edna Krutchkoff, R.N., described our “Missing Table” and had the audience hold their glasses but not drink to toast our missing who could not be with us. And she named several who had relatives in the audience, after which a Gold Star wife and daughter approached the table to see the special bracelet of their loved one.
. . . Andrew Espinoza sang a wonderful rendition of “Proud to be an American,” by Lee Greenwood
. . . Our Esteemed Honoree of the Gala was the Inserra Family of Inserra Shop-Rite Supermarkets here in North Jersey. The Inserra’s are well known for their philanthropy in so many areas, including Leukemia, Diabetes and so many other notable missions. Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon has been on the receiving end of their Patriotism and Generosity for years. Not only are they Banner Sponsors of the Gala every year, but they also donate $$$10’s of Thousands$$$ worth of food to AaSP so we may ship out the great care packages to our brave men and women serving in harm’s way. The family was presented with a signed Field of Stars by the 101st Airborne Bastogne Brigade, who deployed to Eastern Europe to support NATO and Ukraine.
. . . There were lots of great items in our Silent and Live Auctions.
. . . But the piece de Resistance was the beautiful Gurkha Khukuri Dagger that Hari brought us as a gift. And the Inserra Family won the bid on that one. They won a heck of a beautiful piece and Hari signed it in several places for them.
. . . And for the rest of the evening, attendees had fun dancing; talking, getting autographs and taking pictures with Hari; and making donations to our Operation Wounded Care. 100% of the net proceeds, after well looked-after expenses (and many donated services), go to our Wounded Care. We also had many professional athletes in the audience and fans were eager to meet them and take some selfies!
. . . For more information and pictures please visit our Facebook Page.