Blog Post

IAVA Celebrates Fifth Annual Heroes Gala
Posted by Michelle McCarthy on November 10 2011

On November 9th, IAVA kicked off an inspiring week of Veterans Day tributes and celebrations nationwide with the Fifth Annual Heroes Gala, held at Cipriani 42nd in New York City. The event honored the more than two million men and women who have bravely served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan--and two champions for our veterans community: Corporal Aaron Mankin and Stephen Colbert.

The Fifth Annual Heroes Gala provides direct support for IAVA’s efforts throughout the year, including free membership and access to resources, services, and once in a lifetime experiences for all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It's success would not have been possible this year without the generous support of Southwest Airlines, Walmart and all our sponsors who stepped up to make it a truly inspirational night for our veterans community.

• Couldn't attend, but still want to get involved? Please donate now and support the new greatest generation of veterans.  The first $25,000 we receive will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous anonymous supporter.  So please step up and give what you can. And if you’ve already given, please encourage your friends and family to do the same. Together, we’ll make every day Veterans Day.

• Check out the red carpet highlights
• Watch the inspirational speeches from Aaron and Colbert
• Make a donation to support the mission!

Gala Highlights

At the Heroes Gala, IAVA presented Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, with the 2011 IAVA Civilian Service Award and Corporal Aaron Mankin, an Iraq veteran and advocate for wounded warriors, with the 2011 Veterans Leadership Award. Brian Williams, Anchor and Managing Editor at NBC Nightly News, returned as Master of Ceremonies for the evening calling on supporters to not just thank our nation's veterans this Veterans Day but to invest in them by hiring them. 

In receiving their awards, both Aaron and Colbert brought down the house with their humor, dedication and spirit to continue serving this generation of veterans long after the wars end. And among the greatest highlights of the night, nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Norah Jones performed a special tribute for all our veterans and their families in attendance.

Master of Ceremonies, Brian Williams

IAVA's 2011 Civilian Service Honoree, Stephen Colbert: Tribute Video

IAVA's 2011 Civilian Service Honoree, Stephen Colbert: Acceptance Speech

IAVA's 2011 Veteran Leadership Honoree, Cpl. Aaron Mankin: Tribute Video

IAVA's 2011 Veteran Leadership Honoree, Cpl. Aaron Mankin: Acceptance Speech

IAVA Founder and Executive Director, Paul Rieckhoff

Couldn't attend the Heroes Gala? Donate online or text "IAVA" to 20222 to contribute $10 towards our Combat to Career program. Ensure our country supports this newest generation of veterans not just on Veterans Day but every day of the year.

In just the last year, IAVA has connected hundreds of veterans with employers through career fairs, helped over 10,000 veterans go to college on the new GI Bill, and provided mental health support to over 50,000 veterans—all at no cost to Member Veterans. Programs like these are only made possible through your generous support. Fight for those who fought for us and help us keep these resources and benefits complete free for new veterans and their families.

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