KISS Supports Wounded
Warriors
by Joseph Andrew Lee
Its their patriotism and
overwhelming support for the men and women in uniform.
For the past decade, KISS has brought awareness to the volunteer
nature of our fighting force, visited recovering wounded, and
raised money for returning veterans. And while viewers of the hit
television series Family Jewels" may know that Gene Simmons
deep love for the U.S. military derived from his mothers dramatic
rescue by American forces during the Holocaust, the rest of the
band is just as patriotic for their own reasons.
Frontman and KISS founder Paul Stanley also has red, white, and
blue coursing through his veins.
We sing about freedom. We sing about the
individual. We sing about self empowerment and being able to make
your own path and your own road to success, said vocalist Paul
Stanley, aka The Starchild. In that way, everything we sing is
about patriotism in the sense that we are “ in the truest sense “
the American Dream. When these brave men and women come home with
either broken bodies or broken spirits, somebody is going to have
to look after them and get them back on track. Were blessed to be
in this position, where we can help to help bring awareness to
organizations that care for them and that are there to support our
heroes.
For every ticket sold to their recent Hottest Show on Earth
tour, KISS donated $1 for a total of $500,000 to the Augusta
Warrior Project, which assists wounded military personnel with a
wide spectrum of care and assistance transitioning home using many
VA and Defense Department assets in the Augusta, Georgia, area.
The Augusta Warrior Project boasts the nations only active duty
rehabilitation unit located within a VA facility, the Charlie
Norwood VA Medical Center. To date, the center has treated more
than 720 inpatients and 1,235 total patients and is also home to a
71-bed Spinal Cord Injury Unit and a 15-bed Blind Rehabilitation
Center.
Nearby Eisenhower Army Medical Center consistently ranks in the
top five among military treatment facilities for receiving air
evacuees directly from Iraq and Afghanistan. Eisenhower AMC has a
level one center for traumatic brain injury care, behavioral and
mental health expertise, and the Armys only inpatient substance
abuse treatment program that collaborates directly with the
Charlie
Norwood VA Medical Center.
Paul Stanley of KISS is greeted by members of Naval Air Station
Security Department. The band landed at NAS Oceana a few hours prior to their
concert at the Virginia Beach Ampitheater, August 27, 2010. Navy photo.The
Augusta Warrior Project is
a great example of public and private organizations working
together in the right way for the right reason, said Stanley.
These people deserve our prayers, our support, and our dollars,
quite frankly.
Currently in the studio recording, KISS intends to head back on
the road to tour their new album after its fall release. When
asked
if they have considered touring with the USO, Stanley confirmed
that it is a top priority for the band.
Weve never done a USO tour before just because dates and
logistics didnt line up right, but thats something weve always
wanted to do, said Stanley. Hopefully we can do that very soon.
It would be our greatest honor.
Loving your country and standing up for your country isnt
un-cool, added Stanley. Its about as cool as you can get. This
is the greatest country on earth, and for the guys and gals out
there protecting our way of life right now, we love you. Be safe
and God speed.
Joseph Andrew Lee is the USO's staff writer.
Joseph Andrew Lee
http://www.kissonline.com/news/article/id/25083 (KISS!)
KISS HELPS WOUNDED
WARRIORS
HELPS WOUNDED WARRIORS
July 31, 2010
KISS kicks off tour to
help wounded warriors
By ELOISE OGDEN
When fair-goers packed
the new grandstand for the KISS concert last Saturday night at the North Dakota
State Fair, they also were helping military members returning from war who have
been wounded.
Minot was the second
stop for the rock group's 32-city North American "The Hottest Show on
Earth" tour.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
in Cheyenne, Wyo., was the first stop, the night before Minot, where KISS
kicked off donating $1 from every concert ticket sold to go to Central Savannah
River Area Wounded Warrior Care Project in Augusta, Ga. The tour ends in
Fontana, Calif., Sept. 25.
The KISS concert in
Cheyenne had a total attendance of 16,715 people and $15,884 will go to the
Wounded Warrior Care Project, Cheyenne Frontier Days officials said.
Laurie Ott, of Augusta,
executive director of the CRSA Wounded Warrior Care Project, hearing the number
of tickets sold at the State Fair's KISS show, said, "That's just
incredible." KISS also reportedly played to record-breaking crowds in
Cheyenne.
According to State Fair
officials, 15,082 people attended the KISS concert in the new grandstand.
Ott said the rock group
got the idea to donate $1 of every ticket sold on their concert tour after
visiting wounded warriors in the Charlie Norwood Veterans Administration
Medical Center in Augusta in October. She said KISS was performing in Atlanta
when they came to Augusta to visit wounded military members at the medical
center. Three members of the band, Paul Stanley, founding member of the group,
Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer made the trip.
"They came to
Augusta personally and visited the inpatient troops who could not make it to
the concert," she said.
"They were there
for the troops signed autographs, took photos, handed out T-shirts and spent
time talking to the troops all the inpatients," she said.
KISS invited about 100
wounded warriors to their concert in Atlanta where the rock group recognized
them and gave them back-stage access.
Augusta's Charlie
Norwood VA Medical Center has the nation's only active-duty rehabilitation unit
located in a VA facility. It has treated more than 740 inpatients and 1,250
total patients, to date, all of them active-duty soldiers, Marines, sailors,
airmen and Coast Guardsmen. The medical center also is home to the VA's 71-bed
Spinal Cord Injury Unit, the largest in the system in number of patients
followed, and a 15-bed Blind Rehabilitation Center.
Eisenhower Army Medical
Center, also in Augusta, is one of the top five military treatment facilities
for receiving air evacuees directly from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The CRSA Wounded Warrior
Care Project focuses on using Augusta's wounded warrior care assets, including
the two medical centers.
The project has other
initiatives/programs including an employment and training program for Iraq and
Afghanistan returnees, marriage and family enrichment retreats, computer
training programs and mentor programs.
"What the Augusta
model offers is a community-based structure for coordinating those
resources," project information says.
Besides their interest
in the troops, Ott said the KISS members took an interest in the project's
community-based model. "They took an interest in streamlining and
harnessing all these resources," she said.
She said transitional
housing is one of the present needs of the project. "We get troops from
all over the country who come to Augusta for rehabilitation," she said.
Ott said she isn't aware
of plans for KISS to return to Augusta. "But we'd welcome them back with
open arms. They were here once without us being a stop on tour, we'd welcome
them back. It's so significant they're calling attention and using (that)
platform to do it,"
"We are so
appreciative of the people of Minot and Cheyenne and of KISS. When the final
accounting is completed for those particular events we look forward to
receiving the funds," she said.
For more about the CRSA
Wounded Warrior Care Project, visit (www.projectaugusta.org).
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