The Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund: 7th Annual Dinner & Auction With Special Guests Award Winning Journalist and Best-Selling Author of “The Perfect Storm” Sebastian Junger; USS Commander Kirk Lippold and Miss Michigan Elizabeth Wertenberger

The Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund (FWSF), a Michigan-headquartered nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to assisting U.S. veterans who return from the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns, and their families, as they find themselves in need of support and assistance; in coordination with Families United and Operation Care Package Michigan, will host its Seventh Annual Dinner & Auction on April 28, 2012. Special guests include award winning journalist and best-selling author of War and The Perfect Storm Sebastian Junger, Commander Kirk S Lippold, US Navy (Ret.) of the USS Cole and current Miss Michigan America Elizabeth Wertenberger, of Dundee. Mich.

Sebastian Junger will be featured as the night’s keynote speaker.  In addition to being an internationally acclaimed, best-selling author, Junger has covered major international news stories and has been awarded the National Magazine Award and an SAIS Novartis Prize for Journalism. He most recently co-directed the documentary Restrepo with photojournalist Tim Heatherington.  The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary and received the 2010 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Restrepo documents the year that Junger and Hetherington were embedded with Battle Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, in the remote and heavily contested Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan. Reporting on the war from the soldiers’ perspective not only produced Restrepo but also resulted in Junger’s latest best seller War.

This year marks the first time that attendees will have the opportunity to bid on a special donation from Miss Michigan Elizabeth Wertenberger, the Miss Michigan Organization and Southfield, Mich.-based The iGroup, the talent and modeling agency that represents Miss Michigan.  During the live auction, guests will bid on the chance to “Spend The Day With Miss Michigan,” an ideal opportunity for young women interested in learning more about the roles and responsibilities of Miss Michigan and for those considering becoming Miss Michigan one day.

WDIV Detroit’s Chuck Gaidica has graciously extended his pledge to help the cause by acting as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies for the sixth consecutive year.  During the event, he will introduce honored veterans from all branches of service as well as state officials.  

In addition to the entertainment, auctions and inspirational stories that will be shared by wounded Michigan soldiers and their families, guests will be presented with detailed information on how donations to FWSF have made a positive impact on Michigan’s military families. Since its inception in 2006, the FWSF has raised over $1,000,000 to help wounded or fallen soldiers and their families.  Returning troops often face delays in getting assistance from the government. The FWSF has the ability to quickly help those families in need, from paying medical bills and travel expenses for families to visit their recovering loved ones at Walter Reed Hospital in D.C., to living expenses, foreclosure assistance and home modifications to create accessible living quarters.

Tickets for the event, which includes dinner and an open bar, are available now for $100 per person. Table sponsorships are also available for $1,000. Please keep in mind that tickets and auction items are tax-deductable and organizers of the event are still accepting sponsorships and auction items.