Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) will honor Home Box Office (HBO, Inc.), a long time supporter of veterans and a true corporate leader, at the 12th Annual IAVA Heroes Gala, with the inaugural 2018 IAVA Corporate Leadership Award.  IAVA is extremely proud to honor HBO, whose commitment to the veterans community has been a pillar of HBO’s Corporate Social Responsibility Platform for many years.  As a company, HBO has consistently supported IAVA and other leading veterans groups, and leveraged their powerful platforms to help tell the veteran story.  HBO has been a leader in storytelling for generations of veterans. From Generation Kill , to Baghdad ER, to Alive Day Memories with James Gandolfini, to Band of Brothersto Last Letters Home: Voices of the Troops from The Battlefield of Iraq, to the Emmy Award winning, Barry, HBO has placed the veteran community in the spotlight. They have told our stories with thoughtfulness, intelligence and tremendous cultural competence. HBO also hosted the historic 2014 Concert for Valor, on the Mall in Washington, DC, to support and recognize our veterans and raised funds for many leading organizations including IAVA.

“HBO has been the true leader in storytelling for our generation of veterans. For almost two decades, HBO has created the content that has connected with the American people in powerful, broad and meaningful way. Few companies in America have done more to accurately depict our experiences overseas and here at home. Additionally, they have been a generous and consistent philanthropic leader for veterans.” said Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and CEO of IAVA. “HBO’s commitment to our veterans is a model for all companies in America to follow.”

This is the first time the IAVA Corporate Leadership Award has been presented.  The award is intended to honor a company that has been a steadfast champion for the veterans’ movement and represented the community as a leader. It will be presented on Nov 8 with the help of Westworld star and veterans advocate, Jeffrey Wright. At the Heroes Gala, Wright will also share with all attendees an exclusive sneak peek at his new project, We Are Not Done Yet, which will premiere on HBO the same night, and is yet another example of a project designed to give veterans a voice.

“HBO is humbled to be honored by IAVA in this amazing way,” said Mr. Dennis Williams, SVP Corporate Social Responsibility. ” Our role in sharing stories is a responsibility that we don’t take lightly as we endeavor to illuminate the beautiful and complex realities of America’s veterans. HBO believes that veterans are to be celebrated as the heroes they are.  I’m thrilled that the HBO gets to participate in the Heroes Gala and excited for a fantastic and inspiring night!”

In its groundbreaking 12th year, IAVA’s annual Heroes Gala will be on Thursday, November 8th, just three days before Veterans Day, at the dazzling Manhattan Classic Car Club at Hudson River Park’s Pier 76 in New York City, a bold new venue that embodies the modern, innovative IAVA mission. Riggle will join special guests Stephen Colbert of CBS’ The Late Show and Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright and Civilian Leadership Honoree, IAVA Board member and founder of Craigslist, Craig Newmark.

Over the past twelve years, the IAVA Heroes Gala has established itself as the premier event of the Veterans Week calendar in America. It’s an event where national leaders of all industries are united. The event empowers IAVA in its support of post-9/11 veterans by raising millions of dollars for best-in-class advocacy and transition support service programs nationwide for over one million veterans. This year, the Heroes Gala will also celebrate and support IAVA’s historic Big 6 Advocacy campaign, which focuses on elevating veterans voices in the face of unprecedented politicization and achieving meaningful progress on 6 key issues:

1) Sustain the campaign to combat suicide among troops and veterans
2) Sustain the campaign to recognize and improve services for women veterans
3) Defend veteran and military education benefits
4) Defend and reform government support for today’s veterans
5) Initiate support for injuries from burn pits and other toxic exposures
6) Initiate empowerment of veterans who want to utilize cannabis

Past honorees and distinguished guests have come from across the military, business, sports, entertainment and politics and include:Michael Bloomberg, Meghan McCain, Medal of Honor recipient Flo Groberg, Henry Kissinger, Shannon Sharpe, VA Secretary Robert McDonald, Rosanne Haggerty, Admiral Mike Mullen, Jon Stewart, Peter G. Peterson, General David Petraeus, Miss USA Deshauna Barber, Joan Ganz Cooney, Julian Bond, Roger Waters, David Gelbaum, Arnold Fisher, Senator Tammy Duckworth; Medal of Honor Recipient Sal Giunta, Willie Geist, Wes Moore, J.R. Martinez, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Bill Hemmer, Rachel Maddow, Leslie Gelb, Coach Bill Cowher, Peter Berg, Norah Jones, Marc Roberge and OAR, Bob Woodruff, Skip Bayless, Harry Carson, Katie Nolan, Michelle Monaghan, Sebastian Junger, Clay Aiken and many more.

Additional special guests and honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2018 IAVA Heroes Gala is sponsored by: Craig Newmark, Juul, Barbaricum, Bob Woodruff Foundation, Western Asset Management, The District Communications Group, AbbVie, Heritage Strategies LLC, Reingold, Steve Tisch Family Foundation, Lizzie & Jonathan Tisch Family Foundation, HBO, The NFL Foundation, JCRT, Pax, Cerner, and more.

Sponsorship packages and tickets are still available to the 12th Annual IAVA Heroes Gala online.