Roger That: Wounded Warrior Project accused of lavish, wasteful spending

One of America’s best-known charities to help wounded veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project, is facing accusations of using donor money toward excessive spending on conferences and parties instead of on recovery programs, according to a CBS News report.

CBS compared how the Wounded Warrior Project spends donations compared to other long-respected charities.

For example, Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust spends 96 percent of its budget on vets. Fisher House devotes 91 percent. But according to public records reported by "Charity Navigator," the Wounded Warrior Project spends 60 percent on vets, or only $180 million out of annual revenues of $300 million.

Where does the rest of the money go? A lot of it, as the network reported, is spent on lavish, catered parties and conferences at five-star vacation resorts. According to the charity's tax forms, spending on conferences and meetings went from $1.7 million in 2010, to $26 million in 2014. That's about the same amount the group spends on combat stress recovery — its top program.

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Marine Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley wears his Purple Heart to recognize the bravery of the five service members killed in the July 16, 2015, attacks in Chattanooga, according to Marine Times.

“I feel honored, but at the same time, I still don’t want to take away from the fallen five,” Cheeley told Marine Corps Times Tuesday after receiving the Purple Heart. “I’ll definitely wear it in honor of the fallen five.”

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Congress passed legislation for a new veterans ID card last summer, but it will likely be another year before any are issued, Military Times is reporting.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun drafting regulations for production and issuing of the ID cards, designed to give veterans easy proof of their military service for non-federal activities.

Legislation authorizing the cards, sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., passed through Congress without objection last July. He argued that veterans needed the option for a veterans ID to help individuals who have to carry around copies of their discharge paperwork to get discounts or services at a host of private businesses.

Veterans requesting the IDs would have to pay a small, yet-to-be-determined fee, to cover production costs.

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An active shooter was reported Tuesday morning at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, triggering a massive response fr om law enforcement, but the incident appears to have been a false alarm, according to Military.com.

Capt. Kurt Jones, commander of U.S. Naval Base San Diego, said an investigation into the matter turned up "absolutely nothing."

“As you're aware, we've had reports —I'd like to emphasize the word 'reports' —of shots fired this morning,” he said during a press conference later in the day. "As of right now we have found absolutely nothing that would indicate that any shots were fired."

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Roger That: Wounded Warrior Project accused of lavish, wasteful spending."