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Photo by Emma Delk| VFW Post 4442 members install the new sign to reserve a Purple Heart parking space at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack while Wheeling Island Casino officals help.
VFW Post 4442 Commander Gerald McMasters, center, donates a Purple Heart parking sign on Sept. 4, 2024, to an employee of the Washington County VA Clinic and Valor Healthcare Center in Washington, Pennsylvania. McMasters said his Post’s Purple Heart Parking Project is now spreading to other states.
NOTICE – All references to the American Legion in this episode should be to the VFW
VFW Post 4442 Info
Episode 3074 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the American Legion Post 4442 Purple Heart Parking Program. The featured story appeared in the 2025 July/August issue of VFW magazine and was submitted by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., the associate editor for VFW magazine. The title of the story is The Success has been Overwhelming.
What started as a simple gesture of gratitude at American Legion Post 4442 in Triadelphia, WV, has grown into a movement of respect for Purple Heart recipients.
The Purple Heart Parking Program began in 2021 when Post Commander Gerald McMasters noticed a lack of visible public acknowledgment for combat-wounded veterans. Inspired by a photo of a designated Purple Heart parking spot outside a small-town grocery store, McMasters proposed the idea at a post meeting: why not create reserved parking spaces in front of the post for Purple Heart recipients?
The members enthusiastically agreed, and within a week, a sign went up—bold, purple, and proudly proclaiming: Reserved for Combat Wounded Veterans. Local media picked up the story, and soon neighboring businesses, schools, and even the county courthouse requested help to set up their own signs.
Word spread through American Legion channels, and by mid-2025, over 200 Legion posts and civic organizations across 3 states had adopted the program.
“It’s a small act that says a lot,” said McMasters . “It tells our Purple Heart heroes, ‘You are seen, you are appreciated.’”
Getting started is easy. As McMasters puts it, “This isn’t just about parking. It’s about parking a little pride and honor in every corner of America.”
Listen to Episode 3074 and discover more about the American Legion Post 4442 Purple Heart Parking Program.
