Charlie Daniels. Photo: Courtesy of Absolute Publicity
The fourth annual Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards Dinner is set for Oct. 26 at Nashville’s City Winery.
Chris Young, a previous recipient of the Patriot Award, will perform live, and the The War Hippies, comprised of combat warriors Scooter Brown and Donnie Reis, will perform the national anthem and a few songs. Special guest speakers for the evening will include former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik; decorated military veteran Mark “Oz” Geist, aBenghazi survivor and co-author of 13 Hours; and Col. Jay Powers, former Commanding Officer, 5th Group. SiriusXM’s Storme Warren will host the event, which will also include a silent and live auction.
The Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards celebrate the U.S. military and the individuals who have contributed to The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project (TCDJHP). Two special guests will also be honored at this year’s dinner: 97-year-old WWII Navy vet Mathias Gutman, and 99-year-old WWII Coast Guard vet Gladys Hughes.
Gutman came from a military family and joined the U.S. Navy shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He became a coxswain on LST 553, delivering men and equipment under fire on several landings. He was part of six island invasions in the Pacific and battled Japanese forces coming from the land, sea, and skies.
At a young age, Hughes felt the call of duty and left college as a junior to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII, serving as a HA1C medic. She also won 2nd runner-up in the 2012 Ms. Veteran America competition, which works to promote issues of homeless female veterans, and earned the crown of Ms. Mississippi Senior America in 2003.
“We have so many distinguished guests, stories, and above all, the presentation of our three award recipients who most represent patriotism, commitment and giving back in this critical time,” explains TCDJHP co-founder and Daniels’ longtime manager David Corlew. “Our live auction will feature two of our most honored guests, Mathias Gutman and Gladys Hughes, as we auction a guitar signed by ten Medal of Honor recipients in order to complete erecting a statue that will honor the men and women of World War II and Vietnam. As the world continues to change and evolve, we as a community must not forget the men and women who have sacrificed so much in the past decades, as well as our future warriors and their families.”
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