CNN's Jake Tapper to Host 3rd Annual VETERAN AWARDS

The Academy of United States Veterans and Coalition to Salute America's Heroes announced today that Jake Tapper, CNN Anchor and host of The Lead and STATE OF THE UNION will host the 3rd-Annual Veterans Awards (The Vettys) on Sunday, January 20, 2018 at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. This year's Vettys are held in partnership with Paralyzed Veterans of America, a congressionally chartered service that serves veterans of the armed forces who have experienced spinal cord injury or dysfunction.

The black-tie gala will honor 6 individuals and organizations who have demonstrated RELENTLESS dedication and selfless service to the veteran community and their families. The 2018 Honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.

"As veterans, we often come back with more than just memories of war, and as Americans, we all struggle with trials and tribulations of life. Nonetheless, we push through and overcome by perseverance and dedication. We, as a Nation, have failed our Vietnam veterans to whom we owe a great debt. Our mission is to reflect on history and ensure that no veteran feels invisible or forgotten," said, Assal Ravandi, President and CEO of the Academy of United States Veterans.

The honorees will be presented with a coveted Vetty statuette. The Vettys statuette is a custom-designed bronzed military boot placed on a sturdy base that signifies the boots on the ground work of the Veterans Service Organizations. The base of the Vettys statuette represents such organizations and individuals that demonstrate a strong foundation.

CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper joined the network in January 2013. Tapper currently hosts a one-hour weekday program, The Lead with Jake Tapper, which debuted in March 2013, and has hosted CNN's Sunday morning show, State of the Union, since June 2015.

Tapper has been a widely-respected reporter in the nation's capital for more than 15 years. His reporting on the 2016 election has been recognized with a number of awards, including a 2017 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism, the Los Angeles Press Club's Presidents Award for Impact on Media, and The Canadian Journalism Foundation's Tribute to Exemplary Journalism. Tapper has also earned the coveted Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage from the White House Correspondents' Association an unprecedented three consecutive times.

In addition to his reporting, Tapper has also authored three books, including The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, published in 2012, Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, which was published in 2001, and Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story, which was published in 1999. His most recent book, The Outpost, debuted in the top 10 on The New York Times best seller list. Tapper's book and his reporting on the veterans and troops were cited when the Congressional Medal of Honor Society awarded him the "Tex" McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism.

Tapper joined CNN from ABC News, where he most recently served as senior White House correspondent.

In his more than nine years at ABC News, Tapper covered a wide range of stories, visiting remote corners of Afghanistan, covering the war in Iraq from Baghdad, and spending time in New Orleans to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the levee system. In 2008, he served as a lead political reporter for the coverage of the presidential election.

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth College in 1991 and lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, daughter and son.

Every year, The Vettys donates 50 percent of its profits to an external cause. This year, those funds will be donated to hurricane relief in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. They have deployed veterans who will use 100 percent of these funds to help families reconstruct and recover.