Burn Pits 360 Announces Full 2026 Gala of Valor Honoree Slate, Launches Hispanic Heritage Tickets

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Sept. 10, 2026) — Burn Pits 360 today announced the full slate of honorees for the 2026 Gala of Valor, its signature annual benefit, to be held Saturday, Oct. 17, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. The organization also introduced a new award, the Burn Pits 360 Congressional Advocacy Award for Veterans Health, recognizing lawmakers whose legislative work has advanced the health and diagnosis of toxic-exposed veterans.

Themed "Where Heritage Meets Heroism," in honor of items accepted by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino earlier this year, the evening opens with a cocktail reception and Sip and Shop marketplace, followed by dinner, a live and silent auction, and an awards program recognizing the advocates, clinicians, researchers, journalists and volunteers who have advanced care and accountability for the toxic-exposed community. Attire is Texas formal, Spanish chic.

"These are the people who refused to look away," said Rosie Torres, executive director and co-founder of Burn Pits 360. "Lawmakers who wrote the bills. Doctors who documented what the government would not. Journalists who kept asking. Volunteers who showed up on the hardest days. Honoring them is how we tell the next generation of advocates that the work matters."

A NEW AWARD FOR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP ON VETERANS HEALTH

The Burn Pits 360 Congressional Advocacy Award for Veterans Health honors members of Congress whose legislative leadership has made a meaningful and lasting impact on the health, well-being and future of the veteran community — lawmakers who have gone beyond statements of support to introduce, co-author or champion bipartisan bills that expand access to care, improve diagnosis and address the long-term health consequences of toxic exposure.

The inaugural recipients are U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), co-authors of the AIR CARE for Vets Act. The legislation builds on the foundation of the Honoring Our PACT Act by working to bring advanced 4D lung imaging technology into VA medical facilities — pairing the toxic exposure screenings the PACT Act mandated with the diagnostic tools needed to detect disease earlier and more accurately.

"The PACT Act got veterans screened. The next fight is making sure those screenings can actually find what is wrong," Torres said. "That is what this award is for."

2026 GALA OF VALOR HONOREES

Burn Pits 360 will present the following awards:

• SFC Heath Robinson PACT Act Service Award — Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey (appearing virtually); U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA); U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX)
• Burn Pits 360 Congressional Advocacy Award for Veterans Health — U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH)
• Capt. Le Roy Torres Justice Defender Award — Lt. Col. Brian Lawler, USMC (Ret.), Pilot Law, P.C.
• PACT Act Veterans Champion Award — Andreas Fouras, Ph.D., founder and CEO, 4DMedical
• PACT Act Defenders of Valor Award — Rick Kell, co-founder and executive director, Feherty's Troops First Foundation
• Amie Muller Research Award — Anthony Szema, M.D.
• Ground Zero Warfighter Legacy Award — David Prezant, M.D., chief medical officer, Fire Department of the City of New York (appearing virtually)
• PACT Act Pioneers Award — Kerry Baker, senior appellate counsel, Hill & Ponton
• PACT Act Trailblazer in Truth Journalism Award — Jake Tapper, chief Washington anchor, CNN (appearing virtually)
• PACT Act Vanguard Award — Denis McDonough, 11th Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Burn Pits 360 Advocate of the Year Award — Col. David W. Sutherland, U.S. Army (Ret.), chairman, Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services
• Burn Pits 360 Corporate Legacy Award — The Lamantia Family and L&F Distributors
• Burn Pits 360 Volunteer of the Year Award — Carlos and Sylvia Avila; John Pizana
• The Oscar Wyatt Legacy of Valor Award — To be announced

ABOUT THE HONOREES

Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, was a consistent voice for toxic-exposed veterans throughout the fight to pass the PACT Act. In 2019, as a freshman member of Congress, she hosted Jon Stewart, fellow freshman lawmakers, Burn Pits 360 and September 11th first responder and survivor advocates for a discussion that helped launch the joint push to secure benefits for burn pit-exposed veterans.

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) authored and led passage of the Honoring Our PACT Act as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, introducing the legislation in 2021 and pressing for its passage alongside advocates until it was signed into law in August 2022. U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), a former Navy SEAL, chairs the committee’s Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and has made PACT Act implementation a legislative priority, authoring bills to help ensure toxic-exposed veterans and their survivors receive timely, accurate benefit decisions.

Lt. Col. Brian Lawler, USMC (Ret.), a San Diego attorney at Pilot Law, P.C., served as lead trial counsel for Capt. Le Roy Torres in Torres v. Texas Department of Public Safety, arguing the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 in Torres’ favor under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act — a precedent that opened the door for disabled veterans and servicemembers nationwide to hold state employers accountable for violating their civilian reemployment rights.

Andreas Fouras, Ph.D., is founder and CEO of 4DMedical, the company behind XV Technology, the world’s first FDA-cleared respiratory imaging software that converts X-ray sequences into four-dimensional quantitative data. Rick Kell co-founded Feherty’s Troops First Foundation in 2008 and built programs including Operation Proper Exit, Operation Warrior Call and 24/7 Battle Buddies; Troops First was among the first organizations to help build Burn Pits 360.

Anthony Szema, M.D., coined the term Iraq Afghanistan War Lung Injury and organized the first War Lung Injury Symposium at Stony Brook University, testifying before Congress on behalf of veterans when few in medicine would. David Prezant, M.D., chief medical officer of the FDNY, has led the WTC Medical Monitoring Program for nearly 16,000 rescue workers and was first to describe World Trade Center Cough Syndrome.

Kerry Baker, a U.S. Marine and senior appellate counsel at Hill & Ponton, fought as chief of legislative and policy staff for the VA’s Compensation Service to ensure the VA’s 2010 environmental hazards training letter included declassified Department of Defense air sampling data. Jake Tapper, CNN’s chief Washington anchor, covered the burn pit crisis extensively and helped bring national attention to Capt. Torres’ fight for justice.

The Honorable Denis McDonough served as the 11th Secretary of Veterans Affairs, leading the largest outreach effort in VA history following the PACT Act’s signing — enrolling more than 739,000 veterans in VA health care, delivering over $6.8 billion in earned benefits, and administering more than 5.6 million free toxic exposure screenings.

Col. David W. Sutherland, U.S. Army (Ret.), chairman of the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services, has served on the Burn Pits 360 advisory board for more than a decade. The Lamantia family and L&F Distributors printed the first Burn Pits 360 banner more than ten years ago and have donated the printing behind the organization’s advocacy ever since. Carlos and Sylvia Avila and John Pizana are recognized for sustained volunteer service, including Burn Pits 360’s Haircuts for Heroes program.

SPECIAL GUEST AND PROGRAM

John Feal, the 9/11 responder and advocate whose campaign helped secure permanent health benefits for World Trade Center responders, will appear as the evening’s special guest. Feal’s work is widely credited with building the coalition model that Burn Pits 360 later used in the fight for the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022.

Chaunté N. Hall, Ph.D., and Jimmy Anderson will serve as co-emcees. Both are Air Force veterans whose careers have centered on veteran transition, workforce development and family support. Hall, an Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veteran, author and educator, is chief of community engagement at Port San Antonio and co-founder of Centurion Military Alliance. Anderson, a Fulbright Scholar who deployed to Afghanistan, has served 17 years in uniform and continues to serve in the Air Force Reserve, and previously held federal appointments at the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIPS

Individual tickets and tables are on sale now at galaofvalor.org. Sponsorship packages remain available across four tiers — Heritage Champion, Tradition of Honor, Legacy of Heroism and Heart of Valor — along with a limited number of featured experience sponsorships tied to specific elements of the evening. Sponsor benefits include on-site and program recognition, event access, and inclusion in Burn Pits 360 recognition materials.

"Every seat at this table pays for something real — an oxygen concentrator, a claim filed, a lung scanned, a PACT Act claim, restored hope for veterans," Torres said. "The Gala of Valor is how we sustain the work between the headlines. When someone buys a ticket or signs a sponsorship, they are underwriting the fight for veterans who came home sick and were told to wait."

WHY IT MATTERS

The Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, which Burn Pits 360 helped drive into law, expanded health care and benefits access for millions of veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic hazards.

Advocates say significant gaps remain in diagnosis, treatment, and the understanding of family and intergenerational health outcomes — gaps the organization works to close through its independent toxic exposure registry, its Spanish-language and English toxic exposure guides, and case management delivered through the Captain Le Roy Torres Warrior Support Center in Robstown.

Tickets, table reservations and sponsorship information are available at galaofvalor.org. 

About Burn Pits 360

Burn Pits 360 is a Texas-based national nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring and empowering veterans, first responders and their families affected by toxic exposures. Founded by Capt. Le Roy Torres and Rosie Torres, the organization works through education, advocacy, community support and policy engagement to drive long-overdue care, recognition and accountability for exposure-related illnesses. For more information, visit www.burnpits360.org.

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