Patch Honors Veterans through Fallen Hero Fund

Please join Patch in honoring our veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces by donating to our partner charity, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

This fund was established in 2000 to provide financial support for the dependents of U.S. military personnel lost in performance of their duty.  This continued an effort begun in 1982 by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, founders of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and the Fisher House Foundation. 

Following the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1982, the Fishers sent contributions of $10,000 to every child who lost a parent in the attack.  Until Zachary's passing in 1999, the Fishers made hundreds of similar contributions following military losses.  These gifts, usually of $25,000, were intended to assist military families through any financial hardships they might face following the loss of their loved ones. This tradition was carried on by Zachary's nephews, Arnold, Richard and Tony Fisher, who quietly supported these efforts through the Intrepid Museum.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the United States' involvement in the war on terrorism, the need for this support greatly increased and this effort was expanded to the public to help meet the growing need for funds.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund was officially established as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2003, and top supporter Richard T. Santulli stepped forward to chair the new organization. Other top supporters came together to form the Board of Trustees, and they continue to lead and support the Fund today.

Through 2005, the fund provided close to $20 million to families of U.S. military personnel lost in performance of their duty, mostly in service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fund provided unrestricted grants of $11,000 to each spouse and $5,000 to each dependent child.

In addition, Board member E. Roe Stamps personally funded an additional $1,000 to parents of unmarried servicemembers as an extension of that program. These payments were coordinated with the casualty offices of the Armed Forces, to ensure that all eligible families received this support.

In 2005 federal legislation substantially increased the benefits granted to these families. With their needs now being supported much more substantially, the fund turned to the next area of the military community needing help: America's wounded warriors.

In January 2007, after only 16 months of fundraising and the generous support of more than 600,000 Americans, the fund completed construction of the Center for the Intrepid, a $55 million world-class state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. This center serves military personnel who have been catastrophically disabled in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and veterans severely injured in other operations and in the normal performance of their duty.

The 60,000 square-foot center provides ample space and facilities for the rehabilitation needs of the patients and their caregivers. It includes modern physical therapy equipment and extensive indoor and outdoor facilities. The center is co-located with two 21-room Fisher Houses to accommodate the families of patients.

Following opening of the Center for the Intrepid, the fund turned toward another critical issue faced by our wounded troops: the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  The Fund addressed this need by constructing the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). NICoE is a 72,000 square-foot, two-story facility located on the Navy campus at Bethesda, MD, adjacent to the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, with close access to the Uniformed Services University, the National Institutes of Health, and the Veterans Health Administration. NICoE will provide the most advanced services for advanced diagnostics, initial treatment plan and family education, introduction to therapeutic modalities, referral and reintegration support for military personnel and veterans with TBI and post traumatic stress.

Further, NICoE will conduct research, test new protocols and provide comprehensive training and education to patients, providers and families while maintaining ongoing telehealth follow-up care across the country and throughout the world. NICoE was dedicated on June 24, 2010.

Visit fallenheroesfund.org for the latest updates.