It’s Remembrance Day (or Veterans’ Day, in the US), which means that all over the world, we’re honouring the armed forces – whether that be through music, a minute’s silence, listening to their stories, wearing red paper flowers on our lapels, or lambasting a nice old man for not bowing quite low enough during a remembrance ceremony.
In the face of all this remembrance, the municipality of Warren, Ohio has taken a somewhat more practical approach. Earlier this month, it unveiled the first of what will be a series of parking spaces for wounded veterans. This one was outside the Municipal Justice Building, and consisted of a bright purple parking space (shown above). There’s also a purple plaque, explaining the parking’s symbolism:
Image: screenshot of WKBN video.
In a way, this is a largely symbolic gesture: many veterans handicapped during service could, of course, use standard disabled parking spots. These special spots – with their bright purple markings and plaque – seem more like an attempt to honour the veterans and draw public attention to their sacrifice. The purple colour and image on the plaque refer to the Purple Heart, a medal awarded to soldiers killed or injured during service.
Here are some purple-clad veterans at the space’s unveiling:
Image: screenshot of WKBN video.
Warren’s public transport network is limited to a couple of buses, so this gesture must be particularly welcome for local ex-servicemen and women.
Herman Breuer, head of the local veterans’ network, told WKBN news that he was delighted by the gesture:
For the city to recognize veterans by putting out a parking spot for the combat wounded, you know, combat wounded, they should hold a special place in everyone’s heart.
They spilled blood for our country.
Eventually, the city intends to install similar parking spaces outside all municipal buildings.
