The Palazzo Las Vegas treats wounded veterans to LAVISH Las Vegas Week-end!

Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson

Airmen welcome the wounded veterans

Wounded veterans honored with high-roller weekend at The Palazzo Las Vegas

In celebration of Armed Forces Day, The Palazzo Las Vegas, along with Southwest Airlines and the Armed Forces Foundation, welcomed our nation’s wounded veterans with a red carpet reception this afternoon. Nearly 70 wounded warriors and their families were flown in from military hospitals in Washington D.C. and San Antonio , Tex. to Las Vegas for a weekend of world-class dining, lavish accommodations and first-class entertainment.

Upon arriving to The Palazzo by police motorcade escort, the troops were greeted with more than 1,000 Palazzo and Venetian team members and guests lining the casino floor, cheering and waving American flags. Many had tears in their eyes, stopping soldiers to say “thank you” and chanting “U-S-A” as the troops made their way through the crowd into The Palazzo’s atrium gardens, gorgeously adorned in red, white and blue.

With a 600-square-foot American flag as a staggering backdrop, the Nellis Air Force Base Honor Guard presented the Colors while the students from the Adelson Educational Campus led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Lining both levels of the atrium area, guests were left in awe after the cast of “Jersey Boys” sang a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.

Philanthropists Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman of the board and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, Sen. Dean Heller, Southwest Airlines’ Jimbo Larsen, and the Patricia Driscoll, president and executive director of the Armed Forces Foundation, all addressed the veterans, expressing gratitude for their courage and sacrifice.

“The welcome I received at The Palazzo is monumental, something I have never seen before,” said Sgt. Johnny Jones, an explosives disposal expert in the United States Marine Corps, who lost both legs while deployed in Afghanistan . His fiancée, Meg Garrison, was also in shock over the overwhelming amount of support, saying “I’ve never seen this many people in my life! The troops deserve so much and we’re thankful to The Palazzo for giving us this amazing weekend.”

This weekend marks the sixth time Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson, with The Sands Foundation, have hosted the nation’s wounded warriors at the property.

During their stay this weekend, the troops will enjoy The Palazzo’s lavish accommodations, tours of the Las Vegas Strip, tickets to Blue Man Group at The Venetian and the Tony Award-winning “Jersey Boys,” the ultimate sports fan experience at Lagasse’s Stadium, gourmet cookout hosted by Omaha Steaks at The Pools of The Palazzo and services at Canyon Ranch SpaClub among others.

Photo credit: Jake Andrzejczak, Images of Vegas/ IS Photography