PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There are few sports figures in Philadelphia history held in as high regard as former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil.  On Thursday, he’ll be at Aneu Restaurant (formerly Meredith’s Bistro) in Berwyn, Pa. to host a tasting of his vineyard’s wines to help raise money for a US Navy corpsman from Chester County who was seriously injured in Afghanistan last year.

Vermeil says he is happy he can do his part to help Jay Raffetto, a Devon, Pa. native, who lost both legs above the knee, his left arm above the elbow, and three fingers on his right hand when an IED went off in Afghanistan on August 5th.

“He’s an outstanding young man with great courage, and he’s going to go through some really tough times and he’s going to need the help of Chester County people who care.  And certainly the people who brought me into it certainly do care,” Vermeil told KYW Newsradio on Tuesday.

Hear the entire Dick Vermeil interview in this CBS Philly podcast…

Vermeil says he would have been disappointed if he hadn’t been asked to help Raffetto: “I’ve been in position to honor a lot of people before, but never anybody of this magnitude.”

The event was arranged through the Chester County Hero Fund.  Tickets for the wine-tasting are already sold out, but Vermeil says they are still accepting donations to help Raffetto.  For more information or to donate, go to chestercountyherofund.com.

Reported by Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio 1060.