Vets honored at SF fundraiser hosted by former ABC World News anchor Bob Woodruff

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Friday, May 18, 2018
Vets honored at San Francisco fundraiser hosted by Bob Woodruff
Some deserving veterans will be the guests of honor Thursday night at a major fundraiser hosted by former ABC World News Anchor Bob Woodruff.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Some deserving veterans will be the guests of honor Thursday night at a major fundraiser hosted by former ABC World News Anchor Bob Woodruff.

Thanks to some talented volunteers, those vets had some help getting ready.

Hair stylists and makeup artists from the likes of Dior were hard at work at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco.

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They were putting the finishing touches on a group of veterans being hosted tonight at a benefit called Stand Up for Heroes.

The nonprofit behind it is run by former ABC World News Anchor Bob Woodruff, who was badly wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq.

"People say many times, if this was five years earlier when a lot of us were hit by a bomb or a bullet, we would not be alive," Woodruff said.

The money raised helps vets like Shealynn Casserly, who was awarded the Purple Heart after her vehicle was hit by a 500-pound IED in Afghanistan.

"I've had over 60 surgeries in the last five years. I spent four years in Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland, recovering," Casserly said.

The day included a luncheon, followed by Thursday night's benefit show, starring the rock band Collective Soul, and comedian Dave Attell.

Marine Corp vet Nick Vincent says he doesn't leave his house much now because of his injuries and a stutter in his speech.

"This is just awesome and I feel very fortunate that we got to come," he said.

The nonprofit event has raised more than $45 million over the last decade.

Woodruff says he's excited to branch out from their base in New York. He said, "This the first year we've now given our attempt to do this on the West Coast, and there's no better place than San Francisco."

Click here for more information about the benefit and to purchase tickets.

Click here for more stories and videos related to veterans.

Written and produced by Tim Didion