Wounded Warrior Project Execs Fired For Lavish Spending: Report

By MARC TORRENCE

Two top executives of of the Wounded Warrior Project, the country's largest veterans charity, were fired Thursday following reports that they've spent millions of dollars on parties and questionable overhead, according to a report from CBS News.

CEO Steven Nardizzi and COO Al Giordan's departures come after a three-part CBS News investigation that revealed the organization spends only about 60 percent of its money on veterans.

The project had raised more than $800 million over the last four years, according to CBS News.

"You're using our injuries, our darkest days, our hardships, to make money," Army Staff Sgt. and former Wounded Warrior employee Erick Millette told CBS News. "So you can have these big parties."

CBS first became alerted to the project's finances through the charity evaluator site Charity Navigator. The site rates charities based on their allocation of finances and their accountability and transparency. Though the project received a lower rating for the relatively low percentage of the budget that goes to direct services, it scored very high on accountability and transparency metrics.

Defending the high proportion of the project's budget spent on fundraising during the original CBS report, Capt. Ryan Kules, a spokesman for the group, said, "It's the best use of donor dollars to ensure we are providing programs and services to our warriors and families at the highest quality."

But CBS found that many employees of the project were concerned that the funds weren't going where they were most needed.

Daniel Borochoff of CharityWatch told CBS that his biggest concern was the Wounded Warrior Project's $248 million dollar surplus; while the charity sits on this money, many veterans fail to get needed care.