- published in the August 2008 issue of the Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report

The Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, an AIP F rated veterans charity, removed Henry Cook, National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), and four other MOPH members from its board, according to ABC News. The ABC story quoted AIP’s president: “It’s outrageous that they are acting more like a boys club than a charity. Cook should be applauded for pointing out the wasteful and wrongful spending at the charity.”

ABC reported that $685,000 was paid to the Washington Redskins by the charity and, according to Cook, allowed Service Foundation officials to use the owner’s luxury box seats at the football stadium. Cook also told ABC that the Service Foundation gave a $255,000 retirement package to its executive director, who they later rehired at his former salary. He also said that two museums were given $500,000 each this year from funds that could have been spent to help veterans.

The Service Foundation is a separate organization that MOPH is largely dependent on to raise funds for its programs. Wasteful diversions of funds by the Service Foundation reduce the amount of money available for MOPH to serve veterans.

AIP contacted the Service Foundation and was told by its deputy executive director, Gregory Bresser, that only its executive director, Richard Esau, can comment and that he is currently away on leave.