On Saturday, June 30, at 7 p.m., Chapter 1000 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart will host a ceremony to welcome the 2018 Purple Heart Truck Run to Valdosta as it continues its 7,800 mile odyssey across America. MOPH Chapter 1000 will host the event at Hooters in Valdosta, 1854 Club House Drive.

The truck is making its way from Greenville, South Carolina and should be expected to arrive at Hooters around 7 p.m. escorted by Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, Chapter 25-5 Members. A Purple Heart Parking Sign will be presented to the restaurant as well as MOPH Members proclaiming Hooters a “Purple Heart Business.”

Following a demonstration of the truck and introduction of the drivers, all who are in attendance will be invited to sign the truck. The public is invited to attend this special ceremony.

There are an estimated 1.8 million Purple Heart recipients that were either killed in action of were wounded in combat or by an act of international terrorism. Those combat wounded service members who have transitioned back into civilian life have made great sacrifices to ensure our freedoms, but they often go unrecognized. The road to recovery and reintegration into their communities can be a long and difficult struggle for both the wounded warriors and their families.

The focus of the 2018 “Purple Heart Run” will be “Mobility is Freedom.” Sponsored jointly by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Wounded Warriors Family Support, the Purple Heart Run features a mobility-equipped, 2018 Ford F-150 truck, adapted to accommodate combat-wounded veterans who are paralyzed or have lost legs and/or arms. Our belief is that, given the right vehicle for mobility, a combat-wounded veteran will have the freedom to live a productive and quality life with his or her family.

Driver exclusively by amputee veterans, the Purple Heart Run will make its way from coast-to-coast on a 7,800 mile odyssey, rallying communities across America to thank our Nation’s military veterans and support this great mission. The Purple Heart Run will begin in Springfield, VA on June 17, traverse the nation to California and end in Spokane, Washington on June 30 at the MOPH National Convention. On its way across America, the truck, provided by the Wounded Warriors Family Support Family Foundation, will stop at MOPH Chapters to demonstrate the capabilities of the truck to distribute special parking signs that mark spaces to be used exclusively for Purple Heart recipients.

At the conclusion of the Purple Heart Run, the keys to the truck will be presented to U.S. Army Sergeant (Ret.) Justin Burdette, a Purple Heart recipient from Palm Bay, Florida, who was chosen from a nation-wide search of eligible and deserving nominees. On June 9, 2013, Patriot Burdette was three months into his third deployment to Afghanistan when his platoon received incoming mortar and rocket fire while on a dismounted patrol in Wardak province. Justin was hit with a 107 mm rocket and the blast caused him to lose both legs below the knees. For his injuries he was awarded the Purple Heart medal.