Each year, Ford Motor Co. teams up with the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) in a program honoring combat-wounded U.S. veterans called the “Purple Heart Run.”
Basically, a select combat-wounded veteran is given a specially-equipped Ford truck adapted to accommodate a driver who is paralyzed or has lost legs and/or arms. As part of the program, the truck travels the country in the “Run,” driven exclusively by combat-wounded amputees, making many stops before its final destination – the annual MOPH convention in Dallas, Texas – where its keys are turned over to its owner.
The focus of this year’s Run is “Mobility is Freedom.” The featured vehicle is a mobility-equipped, 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup, which made a stop last Thursday at Romines Motor Co. in Houston.
About 75 people attended (many of whom signed the truck), including Purple Heart recipients who live in Texas County, several representatives of the Waynesville-based MOPH Chapter 140, numerous local citizens and last year’s truck recipient, Virginia resident Nicholas Thom.
This year’s recipient is Marine Sergeant (Ret.) Marshall Kennedy, of Farmington, Ark., who was chosen through a nation-wide search of eligible and deserving nominees.
For more information, log onto www.purpleheart.org.