On Wednesday, city leaders were joined by an array of veterans – including some decorated from being wounded in battle – for a ceremonial dedication at one of the spaces specifically marked for use by Purple Heart veterans.

Wally McMasters, commander of VFW Post 4442, helped spearhead the Purple Heart Parking Project – a true salute to those who served and a program that has been steadily sweeping across the state of West Virginia and beyond.

“Last July, I was going through the parking lot at Walmart, and I noticed that an older gentleman with a Purple Heart license plate on his truck was parked illegally,” McMasters explained. “I said ‘Buddy, why don’t you park in a handicapped spot?’ And he said, ‘I’m not handicapped. I’m just old, and I’ve got war wounds.'”

That encounter set in motion the effort that became the Purple Heart Parking Project. The first designated spots were established at the Walmart location at The Highlands. Then spots were set up at the Walmart stores in St. Clairsville and in Washington, Pennsylvania.

photo by: Photo by Eric Ayres

A new plaque designates a parking space reserved for combat wounded American veterans. The city of Wheeling on Wednesday unveiled three new public parking spaces with this designation. Overall, around 35 spaces have been created through the Purple Heart Parking Project, including this space in front of the City-County Building downtown.

“That was our start,” McMasters said. “Then I just went to local businesses, and I said, ‘look, if you’d like to participate, we’ll provide the signs.'”

Since then, the program has really taken off. Several local institutions have embraced the program honoring the combat wounded, and it was announced this spring that the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is expected to establish spaces at each of its regional DMV locations across the Mountain State.

“It’s been a great program, and it’s just exploded on its own,” McMasters said. “This community is so attuned to its veterans. It brings quite a sense of pride.”

McMasters said WVU Medicine-Wheeling Hospital has also established Purple Heart parking spaces on their campus, and to date, there are about 35 total designated parking spaces around the Wheeling area alone.

Most of the older veterans in the Ohio Valley who were wounded in battle performed their service in Vietnam. Many of those who returned to the states after their tours of duty were not welcomed with open arms, according to Steve Duncil, officer with the Marine Corps League, Detachment 771 out of Elm Grove.

photo by: Photo by Eric Ayres

A Purple Heart and other medals decorate the uniform worn by combat wounded Marine Corps veteran Steve Duncil.

“This is a way to show appreciation, more than anything else,” Duncil said. “It’s about the relationship between veterans and the city – the community. It’s good to know that they do appreciate us.”

Duncil himself is a Purple Heart recipient, having been wounded not just once, but three times during his service in Vietnam.

McMasters, also a Marine Corps veteran, is not a wounded veteran, meaning that he himself does not park in the Purple Heart spaces created through the effort he continues to champion.

“It’s not enforceable – it’s all voluntary, but people show their respect,” he said. “I am not a Purple Heart veteran. By the grace of God, I was able to get out of Vietnam without a scratch.”

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott said that when McMasters presented a proposal earlier this year to create some Purple Heart parking spaces in the city, officials quickly and unanimously agreed that this was something they should do.

“We identified some sites that might work,” Elliott said, noting that the new spots unveiled Wednesday include one in front of the City-County Building on Chapline Street, one on 16^th Street outside the future location of Helping Heroes and a space along Water Street at Heritage Port where many events are held, including several events that are attended by or held for veterans. “This is just a small gesture, and it doesn’t come close to repaying the sacrifices made by those who’ve earned the right to park in a space like this.”

The Wheeling Traffic Commission and City Council was on board for the designation, the mayor said, and legislation was officially passed to create these spaces last month.

“I commend council for making it happen so quickly, and I really commend Wally for his efforts to do this,” Elliott said, who saluted the Purple Heart recipients and all U.S. military veterans for their service. “We’re ever thankful for their sacrifices made to our country, and if this one small token shows a little bit of appreciation, we hope that it’s a small piece that brings healing and helps let them know that the people who are living in our community do care very much about what they’ve done to keep us safe and for all of the sacrifices they’ve made to our country.

“We would encourage people to respect these spaces.”