War Heroes on Water, Southern California's Landmark Sportfishing Tournament Honoring and Serving Combat-Wounded Veterans, Announces WHOW Night Tribute at loanDepot park in Miami

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- War Heroes on Water (WHOW), the landmark sportfishing tournament event conceptualized by loanDepot Founder and CEO Anthony Hsieh, today announced WHOW Night at loanDepot park, a special in-game celebration during which WHOW, loanDepot and the Miami Marlins will join together to honor WHOW veterans, WHOW's charitable partner, Freedom Alliance, and the local Miami veteran community at the Miami Marlins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game.

"Our veterans have made significant and, in many cases, life-changing sacrifices for our freedom," said loanDepot Founder and CEO Anthony Hsieh. "It is our responsibility as Americans to honor these great heroes and show them how much we care. Through War Heroes on Water, we support veterans and ensure that they receive the therapeutic services they need to help them heal from the wounds sustained during their tours of duty, wounds incurred while protecting our freedom."

Added Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter, "On behalf of the Miami Marlins, we are honored to host loanDepot park's first-ever WHOW Night celebration, and join loanDepot and Anthony Hsieh in recognizing and thanking these heroes for their service and sacrifice."

From the singing of the National Anthem through to a post-game veteran tribute, WHOW Night at loanDepot park will be filled with celebratory salutes to the veteran community and to the veterans who have participated in past WHOW Tournaments. Hsieh and Jeter will be on hand to participate in the night's events, and Hsieh and WHOW veterans will share their insights about the WHOW Tournaments during live interviews from loanDepot park. Additionally, WHOW Night festivities will feature numerous WHOW moments of recognition and all game attendees will have the opportunity learn more about WHOW and support the WHOW efforts throughout the game. 

As part of the WHOW Night at loanDepot park celebration, more than 250 tickets to the Miami Marlins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game will be donated to the Miami-area veteran community through the Miami Marlins Salute & Serve program sponsored by loanDepot, and another 100 will be provided, as part of a gracious donation by the Miami Marlins, to area veterans who receive support from Freedom Alliance. All attending veterans, together with past WHOW Tournament veteran attendees, founding members of the WHOW fleet and representatives from Freedom Alliance, WHOW, will be honored throughout the event and will enjoy a special post-game on-field tribute.

Now entering its fourth year, WHOW is preparing to celebrate its largest Tournament to date. Scheduled to take place from Oct. 1-5 in Southern California's pristine fishing waters, this year's sportfishing event will triple the veterans in attendance to 100 and aims to raise $1M. The event's exceptional year-over-year growth will make WHOW one of the largest on-water combat wounded veteran therapeutic programs of its kind in the country.

The WHOW Tournament is extremely meaningful to Hsieh, who conceptualized the event as a way to give back to the combat-wounded veteran community. A lifelong angler who has led one of the winningest sportfishing teams in the world, Hsieh was confident that the serenity and joy that he and his fellow Southern California anglers found on the ocean could bring healing to the veteran community. The Tournaments give veteran participants significant on-water time that enable them to connect with fellow veteran heroes and establish invaluable, potentially lifelong bonds, all while learning about sportfishing from the sport's greatest captains and anglers.

"We're grateful for this opportunity to partner with loanDepot. The company shares the same passion as we do, when it comes to showing appreciation to service members who have given so much for our freedom," said Tom Kilgannon, president of Freedom Alliance. "We hope these veterans not only have a fun experience, but also build comradery and support for each other, which goes a long way in the path toward their recovery." 

The Tournament's year-over-year growth includes an expanding number of individual and corporate sponsors, including loanDepot, ServiceLink, Compass, Docutech, CoreLogic Solutions, CAA Sport, Buckley, Radian Guaranty, Hanson Family Charitable Foundation, Call & Jensen, Black Knight, Ernst & Young U.S., Huron Consulting Group, Finicity and Rate Marketplace. To date, the Tournament has raised $500,000 toward its 2021 goal, which will support the Tournament as well as Freedom Alliance's ongoing veteran rehabilitation programs.

Those interested in purchasing tickets to WHOW Night, or to learn more about the event, are encouraged to visit Marlins.com/tickets. Veterans interested in attending the event can learn more at Marlins.com/Salute. To learn more about WHOW, please visit www.warheroesonwater.com or follow the WHOW Facebook and Instagram social channels. To make a tax-deductible donation to the 2021 Tournament, please visit: www.warheroesonwater.com.

About War Heroes On Water (WHOW)

War Heroes on Water (WHOW) is an annual sportfishing Tournament of unprecedented scale that supports combat-wounded veterans programs. It was conceptualized in 2018 by loanDepot Founder and CEO, Anthony Hsieh, who is also owner and leader of Team Bad Company, a world-class, record-holding competitive sportfishing fleet. Through Hsieh's deep connections with the Southern California sportfishing and business community, WHOW has grown exponentially, raising nearly $1M for Veterans since its inception.

About Freedom Alliance

Freedom Alliance is a charitable organization which provides help and support to wounded troops and military families. Freedom Alliance has awarded nearly $20 million in college scholarships to the children of military heroes killed or disabled in military service and spent millions more helping injured veterans and military families with outdoor recreational therapy trips, Heroes Vacations, care packages for deployed troops, mortgage-free homes, all-terrain wheelchairs and much more. To learn more, visit www.freedomalliance.org or follow us on Facebook.

Media Contact:
Lori Wildrick
Vice President, Communications
(949) 330-8791
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SOURCE War Heroes on Water