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Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Answer

[holding answer 14 December 2005]: Since June 2003, the Intrepid/Anheusar Busch Fallen Heroes Fund (Intrepid Foundation) has, very generously, been supporting the widows and children of US and UK Service personnel killed while serving on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Support ceased in June 2005 when the Intrepid Foundation decided to concentrate its activities in support of limbless US Service personnel. This decision was taken in light of the recent US Congress decision to significantly enhance the support given to families of personnel killed while on operations.The Ministry of Defence has a liaison officer in place who regularly communicates with the Intrepid Foundation in New York and facilitates payments through the appropriate single Service casualty organisation. The Intrepid Foundation has paid $10,000 to each widow and $5,000 to each child of a Service person who has died. Where an unmarried partner is involved, the Foundation has paid $5,000 to each child. Forty-eight families have so far benefited from the Intrepid Foundation with payments ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. There are four outstanding cases that the Fund and the Ministry of Defence continue to work on.When the scheme ceased in June this year the Chief of the Defence Staff wrote to the Chairman of the Intrepid Foundation thanking him personally for his support. I would like to take this opportunity to add my own personal thanks for their very generous and unstinting support.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

36458; 440 c2341-2W

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Children Armed forces Death Iraq Government assistance Peacekeeping operations War widow(er)s Widowed people USA Afghanistan Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk