To the Rescue! DAV Chapter 8, Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open Provide Aid to Storm-Damaged Iwo Jima Memorial

$1,000 Donation to Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation Offers Financial Support in Wake of Powerful Storm that Extinguished Memorial’s Eternal Flame and Wrought Additional Property Damage

New Britain, Conn., August 14, 2026 – The vital importance of the financial support for Veterans causes that DAV Hardware City Chapter 8’s Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open generates each and every year was never more evident than this week, when the local Disabled American Veterans Chapter came to the aid of the storm-damaged National Iwo Jima Memorial Monument & Park on the Newington/New Britain line – just when its caretakers needed help the most.

This week, DAV Chapter 8 delivered its annual $1,000 charitable contribution to the Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation (IJMHF) – six weeks in advance of the September 25 “GK” at Tunxis Country Club and months in advance of when DAV Chapter 8 typically distributes charitable donations from the event’s net proceeds.

The early donation will bolster the Foundation’s reserves for monument and property maintenance in the wake of a powerful storm late last week that wreaked havoc on memorial property, extinguishing the memorial’s eternal flame, toppling trees, bringing down large branches and causing damage to a guard rail, fence and flags.

“We could not be more grateful for the loyal support of DAV Hardware City Chapter 8,” said Iwo Jima President Raymond Carrier. “DAV Chapter 8 and its Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open are a vital lifeline for small veterans causes like ours that rely on good will and generosity from our friends in the community.”

“The mission of the Disabled American Veterans, including local Chapter 8, is to be there for those who served,” said DAV Hardware City Chapter 8 Commander Michael Wanik. “This glorious memorial is the ultimate tribute to service and sacrifice. Coming to the aid of the Iwo Jima Memorial now, in the wake of this storm, is the right thing to do.”

The 2026 Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open – Connecticut’s premier Veterans charity golf event hosted by DAV Chapter 8 and presented by Liberty Bank – will return for its 16th edition on Friday, September 25, 2026, at Tunxis Country Club in Farmington. The  event is expected to attract more than 200 golfers and raise tens of thousands of dollars in charitable dollars once again for deserving causes serving and honoring Connecticut Veterans and active-duty military. Last year’s event raised a record $33,000, bringing the event’s total to more than a quarter million dollars in charitable impact.

DAV Chapter 8 and House of Heroes Connecticut are the event’s primary beneficiaries. Over the years GK-generated dollars have helped provide repairs that keep deserving Veterans safely in their homes, filled care packages for active-duty troops overseas, funded tranquil fishing trips for Vets with PTSD, sustained monumental tributes to service and sacrifice, built mortgage-free homes for homeless Vets, offered funding so that a Veteran resource center can sustain operations, sent wounded Vets and their families to a week-long retreat in Maine, and provided holiday toys for the children of Veterans serving overseas.

Golf registration is $185, which includes range, greens fees/cart, premium gift bag, lunch and beverages, prizes and post-golf dinner, silent auction and raffle. Shotgun start is 11 a.m. Dinner-only registration is available for $85. A variety of sponsorships, ranging from $125 for a tee sign to $5,000 for a Diamond Sponsorship, are available. Information and online registration are available at www.davchapter8.org.

Hardware City Chapter 8 is one of 17 Connecticut DAV chapters of the more than 1 million member-strong national Disabled American Veterans (DAV). DAV Chapter 8 supports state and national DAV programs at the local level, and its officers and members are active in the local veterans community assisting veterans in need, advocating for veterans rights, representing Connecticut veterans at state and national events, raising funds for veterans programs, and volunteering countless hours on behalf of veterans causes.

The National Iwo Jima Memorial Monument and Park is maintained by the Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The monument depicts the photograph taken by Associated Press Combat Photographer Joe Rosenthal on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on the fifth day of the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. It honors the nearly 7,000 American servicemen who perished in the battle, including 100 from Connecticut. Dedicated in 1995 and funded by survivors of the battle, the monument features rock and volcanic sand at its base from the site of the original flag-raising on Mt. Suribachi, making it the only one of its kind.

For further information about the Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open, visit www.davchapter8.org or contact Tournament Founder and Director Dennis Buden at dennis.buden@davchapter8.org or 860-558-0514.

Media Contact: Dennis Buden, DAV Hardware City Chapter 8 (860) 558-0514 dennis.buden@davchapter8.org