W.Va. DMV announce statewide participation in Purple Heart Parking Spot Program

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVVA) - Everett Frazier, West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner, announced that a local, veteran-initiated program honoring Purple Heart Veterans will be displaying signs at all DMV regional offices statewide.

According to a release from the W.Va. Department of Transportation, Commander Wally McMasters of the VFW Post 4442 has been promoting “Purple Hearts Parking Spots” over the last year in the Nothern Panhandle, and he has gotten support from many retailers and business outlets, who agreed to make one parking spot in their shopping area dedicated to Purple Heart Veterans.

McMasters approached the DMV in Moundsville about the idea, and Commission Fraizer whole-heartedly agreed.

“If it was up to me, I’d give our veterans the whole parking lot,” Frazier said. “Our service men and women in uniform give their time, effort, and sometimes pay the ultimate sacrifice--their very lives--so that we can enjoy our freedoms. To me, giving them a parking spot at each office is just a small way that we can say ‘Thank you for your service!’”

According to McMasters, getting participation from businesses in the Wheeling and surrounding areas was his “Phase 1″. “Phase 2 is going statewide, and Phase 3 will be touching the nation,” McMasters said.

The first Purple Heart Parking Spot sign to be included at a DMV regional office was installed in Moundsville on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, with several veterans and DMV staff in attendance. Over the next couple months, signs will continue to go up across the state until each regional office is included.

For more information, visit the DMV website.