Flashback Friday: Gifting Purple Heart Recipients with Ford Trucks
When injured veterans return home, they have so much to deal with notwithstanding adjusting back to society. One organization looks to make things a bit easier by gifting them with a very special Ford truck.
Joining forces for the veterans
The Military Order of the Purple Heart joined forces with the Wounded Warrior Family Support to make a way for Purple Heart veterans who have been wounded to regain their mobility. The sad truth of the matter with Purple Heart recipients is that out of the 1% of the U.S. military that receive a Purple Heart, only a quarter of those recipients are alive to accept their medals. Those that have survived their injuries are usually faced with a life of limited independence and a diminished quality of life.
Giving back their independence
With that reality in mind, the Purple Heart Run was born. This project is a two-year-old organization and movement that awards a renovated Ford truck to Purple Heart veterans each year. Retired Army Col. John Bircher, creator of the Purple Heart Run, said that "the real purpose of it is to show mobility is freedom." Bircher's goal is to give returning members of the armed forces the simple joy of getting out of their houses daily.
>>Join the conversation about The Purple Heart Truck Run right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
These trucks aren't cheap
The Purple Heart Ford trucks are specially modified with a wheelchair crane, hand controls for braking and acceleration on the steering column, and a cover over the bed that can be lifted via hydraulics. These trucks cost about a $100,000 total with $30,000 of that going towards accessibility mods alone. The money to renovate these used trucks cine from fundraising as well as a $50,000 grant from the good folks at Ford Motor Co.
>>Join the conversation about The Purple Heart Truck Run right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Thank you for your service
This renovated Ford will take part in a road trip that starts in Washington, D.C. on July 1st and will conclude 45 days later in Dallas, T.X. The route they will take is an 8,500-mile drive that will be broken into five legs. The Marriott is providing accommodations for the truck drivers and Flying J is sponsoring the fuel usage. Once there in Dallas, it will be given to retired Marine Sergeant Marshall Kennedy. Patriot Kennedy lost both his legs and severe damage to his left arm while on a foot patrol back in 2011 while stationed in Afghanistan. He stepped on an improvised explosive device while out on his fourth deployment for our great country. On the process of choosing a recipient every year, "it's a hard, hard thing to do, to pick one. The key is someone who really needs it -- they don't already have a modified car or truck, they have a family, and they're at least a double amputee."
>>Join the conversation about The Purple Heart Truck Run right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Raising awareness from state to state
During the course of the drive, the objective will be raising attention to wounded veterans and the effect that these injured men and women have on their families and communities. Behind the wheel of the truck is thirty-year-old Purple Heart recipient and double amputee Justin Burdette. He remarked how returning veterans often feel as if they are a burden to their families and friends because of sustained injuries. "We're really active guys, we're always out doing something, and we don't necessarily like to drag our wives and caregivers around with us everywhere to help," he said. "So this helps us get out to doing everything we like to do before we got injured."
To learn more or to make a donation, visit purpleheart.org and wwfs.org.
>>Join the conversation about The Purple Heart Truck Run right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
For help keeping your truck in great shape, check out the how to section of Ford-Trucks.com