While debate over the future of the war in Iraq rages among Congress, the White House and the populace, several organizations and individuals in the business aviation industry have been quietly providing support to servicemen wounded in the conflict. One major effort involves Richard Santulli, creator of the fractional ownership business model and the chairman and CEO of industry leader NetJets.
As a member of the board of directors for the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, Santulli became one of the organizers of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund after learning of the paltry sum that families of soldiers killed in action would receive. “I’d be at dinner and I’d say to someone, ‘What do you think a soldier’s wife gets when he dies [in action], if he has no insurance?’ I guess because of the 9/11 incident and the World Trade Center, they would say, ‘Oh, it’s got to be a million dollars, $500,000.’ Then I would say, ‘No, it’s $9,000,’ and they just couldn’t believe it,” said Santulli.
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