Pfc. Daniel Tingle, injured in January in Baghdad, is to be welcomed home March 3 with a party at Sharkey's Casino in Gardnerville.
Casino general manager Bernie Curtis said the 21-year-old Tingle was a former employee, but, more importantly, he was being honored for his service in the Army.
"We want to welcome him home," Curtis said. "We're honored that this young man has served our country. It's something our company does. We support our men and women in the service and do whatever we can."
Sharkey's is picking up the tab for rental of the upstairs banquet room, hors d'oeuvres and desserts.
"The best thing that could happen is that so many of Daniel's friends and family members showed up, we ran out of food," Curtis said.
The local chapter of Blue Star Moms is in charge of decorations.
Tina Luce, Tingle's mother, said she hoped all active-duty personnel and veterans would attend along with the schoolchildren and other community members who have been communicating with her son since he was seriously wounded Jan. 6.
"I'm ex-military myself and I believe anybody who served this country, especially those in war situations, and their families have sacrificed," Luce said. "It would be an honor to us to have as many of them attend as possible."
The celebration is set for 2-5 p.m. and open to all ages.
"We're opening it up," she said. "Daniel has received so many cards and letters and such support from the community, this will be his way to say thank-you."
Luce said she was overwhelmed at Sharkey's generosity.
"It sounds like a cliché, but I just don't have the words to say what I am feeling from my heart," Luce said. "It's unbelievable. I am just in awe."
Tingle, a 2004 Douglas High School graduate, has been undergoing treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Doctors are hoping to save his left foot which was shattered when his unit came under a mortar attack.
He will be coming home on 30-day convalescent leave and is expected to return to the medical facility to continue treatment and rehabilitation of his injury.
DETAILS
Sharkey's Casino in Gardnerville is hosting a welcome home celebration from 2-5 p.m. March 3 in the upstairs banquet room for Pfc. Daniel Tingle, a 2004 Douglas High School graduate who was injured in Iraq. The event is free and open to the public. There will be a no-host bar. Entertainment will be provided by family friends Craig and Terry who perform at Glen Eagles in Carson City.
