Cow Harbor Warriors Respond to Legion's Claims

Cow Harbor Warriors President Rocco Donnino responded in detail Tuesday to allegations of fraud recently made by the Northport American Legion.

The two veterans groups have been battling since January over conduct and the fate of funds raised by the Cow Harbor Warriors in 2012. Most recently, the Northport American Legion accused the CHW of misrepresenting its affiliation with the national Wounded Warrior Project organization and using false claims of combat service and injuries to elicit donations from the public. 

Related: American Legion Continues Censure of Cow Harbor Warriors

Donnino's response, received via email, is as follows:

It is unfortunate that instead of seeking to work together to help wounded veterans, Mr. Cooney and the Northport American Legion Post #694 continue to attack Cow Harbor Warriors through a letter addressed to Huntington elected officials and read to Village elected officials on Tuesday, August 6, 2013.  Notably Cow Harbor Warriors was not given any advance notice that the Northport American Legion planned to take those actions and so was not even present at the Village Hall meeting. 

We have not learned yet whether the Village knew in advance so that it could have given us notice and an opportunity to be present.  We believe that the latest attacks continue to contain misstatements and at best half-truths about Cow Harbor Warrior’s activities in 2012, our organization, finances and close cooperation with the Wounded Warrior Project in 2012. We will use all means necessary to respond to these accusations, as well as clear our name and reputation in order to continue to support our mission to honor and enable tri-state wounded OIF/OEF warriors and the organizations that help advance their rehabilitation. 

We will be providing a detailed response in the coming weeks but in the interim wished to share these facts: 

As detailed in multiple communications with the Northport American Legion since contacting us on January 22, 2013:

               •  In May 2012 - The Cow Harbor Warriors Board of Directors made a $1,000 donation to Building Homes For Heroes on behalf of LT. James Byler

               •  On November 19, 2012 the Board voted to make a $50,000 donation to the WWP as part of months of weekly and daily communications with the WWP.  Donations were also approved by the Board to the Northport Veterans Medical Center and the Northport American Legion. 

               •  On January 18 2013, Joe Sledge, Chaplin of the Northport American Legion and the Director of Public Affairs of the Northport Veterans Medical Center was made aware of the $1,000 dollar donation to their adaptive sports    program.

               •  In a letter to Commander Ron Matuza of the Northport American Legion on January 25, 2013, CHW outlined the organizations that had already received donations and were scheduled to receive donations from funds raised in     2012. The Northport American Legion being one of them.

Although conveniently never mentioned by the Northport American Legion, yet documented in the finances they say they have reviewed, The Cow Harbor Warriors Board of Directors has personally donated thousands of dollars of their own money to start our non-profit organization as well as continue to support its goals with goods, services and additional out of pocket expenses. As documented as part of the Certified Financial Review, conducted by the outside accounting firm of Israeloff, Trattner & Co., PC, CHW did spend $1,100 for the thank you barbecue for over 75 of our local community neighbors and friends who worked tirelessly to make Cow Harbor Warrior Weekend a huge success.  That is less than $15 per volunteer to thank them for their thousands of hours of help.  This number has also never been hidden and is a completely appropriate expenditure to thank the community and its volunteers for the enormously successful events that occurred last year.  The Northport American Legion’s letter does not point out that it is these same volunteers who continue to staff events for wounded warriors and other veterans in need, including recently at the Northport Veteran’s Medical Center.  All for free and all as volunteers.  It is truly appalling for the Northport American Legion to refer to this thank you as “Disgraceful.”

$500 was also spent on a dinner for the annual Board of Directors meeting for the 9 board members at which 2012 results and 2013 plans were reviewed and approved.  This also was reported in our public filings and was the only such expenditure by the Board in the entire year, and for a Board that takes not one penny in salary and spends less than 4.1% of all money brought in on administrative expenses (which includes these two noted expenses).  Is this really what the Northport American Legion has come to in order to justify its continued attacks.

In addition, Cow Harbor Warriors has never said it was an “affiliate” of the Wounded Warrior Project at any time publicly or privately. Cow Harbor Warriors is a separate legal and operational entity.  This has been explained to Mr. Cooney and the Northport American Legion multiple times in detail since January of 2013, yet they continued to poison the public and our elected officials’ view of CHW by making the same accusation about our organization over and over again. However, it is indisputable that Cow Harbor Warriors closely collaborated with the Wounded Warrior Project’s NY team to host 23 tri-state wounded warriors and their families for a weekend of appreciation, recreation and celebration. As detailed in multiple accounts of documented planning/communication, press releases, and media events with the Wounded Warrior Project, Cow Harbor Warriors 2012 mission was very clear. Our mission was focused on "honoring and enabling" Tri-State Wounded Warriors from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) by raising funds and awareness and enlisting the community’s support for the Wounded Warrior Project and Cow Harbor Warrior Weekend. The Cow Harbor Warrior Weekend was created as a way to raise funds and awareness for the WWP by inviting the Tri-State Wounded Warriors, their families and our community members to a weekend of recreation, celebration and appreciation.

Wounded Warrior Project’s NY team participated in every aspect of the planning for every event as reflected in dozens of communications and in their presence at nearly every single event – under their banner and with their WWP logo.  The WWP was even asked by the Northport American Legion, to say a few words during the 2012 Memorial Day Services. Many of you were there and saw and spoke with the Wounded Warrior Project representatives and their invited Wounded Warrior Project Alumni.  Cow Harbor Warrior’s close collaboration and relationship with WWP was never an issue throughout all of these efforts and events. 

Wounded Warrior Project logos and trademarks have been removed from Cow Harbor Warriors website and other materials because Cow Harbor Warriors has publicly disclosed (including in filings with the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency) its intention to provide support and donations to a broader group of wounded veterans organizations, including more organizations on Long Island – which the Northport American Legion specifically requested.  If Wounded Warrior Project is not an exclusive recipient of designated funds they have the right and have chosen not to have their logo used.  It is remarkable that Cow Harbor Warriors is now attacked for not being more closely tied to the Wounded Warrior Project going forward in 2013 when it is exactly that result which the Northport American Legion has campaigned for since January!     

Cow Harbor Warriors began its detailed written communications with Wounded Warrior Project in September of 2012 regarding a donation – months before the Northport American Legion contacted anyone.  We were extremely proud to announce a donation to the Wound Warrior Project on behalf of Cow Harbor Warriors of close to $83,000. The only funds left in the Cow Harbor Warrior’s account, which continues to be an openly disclosed fact, is the funds left to continue the programs and support for other wounded veterans organizations we have chosen to work with in 2013.

In terms of the wounded warriors that participated in last year’s Cow Harbor Warrior Weekend, the vast majority was invited by the Wounded Warrior Project and were Wounded Warrior Alumni as stated multiple times to the Northport American Legion. Three other wounded veterans and their families were personally invited by Cow Harbor Warriors, which was discussed with the Wounded Warrior Project, prior to the event. 

More to follow -- but we wanted to make these things clear.

Sincerely,

Cow Harbor Warriors