Purple Parking Spots Are Being Installed To Honor Wounded War Veterans

An Ohio city is creating purple parking spots reserved exclusively for wounded war veterans.

According to CityMetric, the first of such spaces was unveiled earlier this month outside the Municipal Justice Building in the city of Warren.

It features a purple sign indicating the spot was implemented by nonprofit Wounded Warriors Family Support, providing aid to families of soldiers who were injured or killed.

The spots will not only draw attention to wounded veterans but also allow them to park close to their destinations, sparing the injured veterans from long walks.

Herman Breuer, director of the Trumbull County Veteran Services Network, told WKBN,

For the city to recognize veterans by putting out a parking spot for the combat wounded, you know, combat wounded, they should hold a special place in everyone's heart. They spilled blood for our country.

Warren officials said there will eventually be at least one purple parking spot at every municipal building.

Based in Omaha, Wounded Warriors Family Support began distributing the parking signs for free in 2012 and since sent over 2,000 of them across the country.

Col. John Folsom, founder and president of Wounded Warriors Family Support, talked about the importance of the group's mission. He told Huffington Post,

[Veterans] need to be remembered and honored for their sacrifice in service to our country. I see it as part of a healing of the spirit for our combat-wounded veterans.

Several signs were installed at a New Jersey ShopRite in October, as well as at a Lowe's Home Improvement center in South Carolina on November 2.

That particular Lowe's employs a marine, who, with the help of a coworker, painted the wounded-veteran spaces purple.

If you like this story Please "LIKE' our pageHonoring those who served and were wounded Bobby Woody was walking out... Posted by Military Order of the Purple Heart, USA on Monday, November 2, 2015

Approximately 1.8 million veterans received Purple Hearts, awarded to soldiers who were injured or killed in combat.

To have Wounded Warriors Family Support send aluminum signs to local businesses, you can fill out an online application and pay the shipping fee for the signs.

See below for more coverage on Warren's first wounded-veteran parking spot.

Citations: A city in Ohio is installing special purple parking spaces for wounded veterans (CityMetric), Purple parking spots in Warren honor wounded veterans (WKBN), These Reserved Parking Signs Are A Well Deserved Salute To Wounded Vets (Huffington Post)