5th Annual Navy SEAL Foundation Benefit in New York City Raises Funds and Support for Naval Special Warfare Community

(VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Dec. 5, 2011) —An estimated 1,700 people gathered at the Hilton New York in Manhattan, Dec. 1 for the 5th Annual Navy SEAL Foundation Benefit for a gala evening, celebrating the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) forces, including U.S. Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman, Naval Special Warfare support personnel and their families.

The benefit raised an estimated $5.5 million to support the NSW community and their families, according to event chairman and former Navy SEAL Michael Martin.

Martin stressed that the foundation’s mission on the home front, supporting families, is of paramount importance not only to the wives and children of SEALs, but also to the SEALs themselves.

“SEALs killed in combat need an organization to support the team and family,” said Martin. “Eleven years of combat has taken a toll on families.”

This year the benefit was underwritten by TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Martin said that because of their generous support, the majority of the money raised this year will go to the foundation and directly supports such programs as survivor assistance, child development, active duty SEAL support, mortgage relief and scholarships to benefit families of the NSW community.

People attending the event, said Martin, have a passion for supporting the military and its families. Celebrity host, actor/comedian Denis Leary, is among these supporters. Leary was brought on to host the event because of his strong public support of the military. His firefighter character from the hit television drama “Rescue Me” closely resembles the same spirit possessed by SEAL team members, and he works extensively through his charity, The Leary Firefighters Foundation, on behalf of firefighters and rescue workers across the nation, said Martin.

And it doesn’t hurt that Leary was a very funny man, who entertained the crowd throughout the evening amidst a flurry of honors, video presentations and speeches. In keeping with tradition, two prestigious awards were announced at the event.

The first honor, the Navy SEAL Patriot Award, was presented to Fortress Investment Group LLC for the extent of its charitable giving to veterans’ causes, its commitment as an employer to the veterans’ community and a broad range of programs and discounts provided to veterans through Fortress’s portfolio companies.

“A number of foundation board members now work on Wall Street, and we are very familiar with Fortress, their people and their culture,” said Martin. “Fortress supports the veterans’ community in many ways, and we believe it exemplifies the SEALs’ ‘All in All the Time’ credo and the SEAL characteristics of focus, discipline and toughness. We also wanted to recognize the tireless efforts of Fortress Managing Director Drew Fox on the foundation’s behalf over the past decade.”

Past recipients of the award include Fox News president Roger Ailes, retired broadcast journalist and author Tom Brokaw, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven and Alexandra Cohen—all people who have shown a commitment to the military.

The second award presented was the “Fire in the Gut” award, which takes its name from an award given to the most outstanding and motivated member of each SEAL BUD/S training class. In the case of the foundation benefit, it is given to those who, Martin said, selflessly strive for others without regard for recognition or reward. This year that award was given to the SEAL Combat Assault Dog Team, represented by “Brando,” a SEAL combat assault dog.

Previous “Fire in the Gut” award recipients were Capt. Richard Phillips, USMM, Maersk Alabama and United States Special Operations Command Care Coalition.

A live auction was also held and a number of special videos were presented throughout the evening, celebrating the families of SEAL team members and remembering the fallen.

In the end, after all of the awards were given, and speeches were made, people attending the 5th Annual Navy SEAL Foundation Benefit were reminded of what brought them all together in the first place when a passage from the SEAL Ethos was read to the guests: “Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America's finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life.”

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