County unveils parking for wounded vets
BLACKWOOD - Camden County made a small, but meaningful gesture for local Purple Heart recipients Tuesday morning.
Freeholder Bill Moen and Camden County College President Don Borden gathered in the parking lot between Taft Hall and the CIM Building at the Gloucester Township college campus to unveil the first of eight new parking spots in the county reserved for wounded veterans.
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"The purple sign is symbolic to the mission of the institution," Borden said. "We take pride in being designated as a veteran-friendly school. We do everything possible to make our vets feel comfortable here and get the support they need to be successful."
The unveiling of the sign was personal for Borden, who's father was a World War II and Korean War vet. "We need to honor those who did so much for all of us."
In addition to Camden County College, signs were installed at the South County Branch Library in Winslow, Vogelson Branch Library in Voorhees, Rohrer Branch Library in Haddon Township, Riletta Cream Branch Library in Camden and the Lakeland-based Veterans Affairs Office, Regan Building and DiPiero Building.
The signs were donated by the Wounded Warriors Family Support Organization, a nonprofit founded by a retired Marine Corps colonel in Omaha, Nebraska, to assist armed force families who've had family members wounded or killed in combat. The organization began offering the combat veteran signs in 2014. Since then, it has distributed more than 2,000 signs.
Purple Heart is a United States declaration presented by the president to those who were wounded or killed while serving the country. An estimated 1.8 million living Purple Heart recipients have transitioned back to civilian life.
Sgt. Sarmukh Singh, a Camden County Sherrif's Department officer and Purple Heart recipient, served in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2008. While on patrol in South Jersey, he noticed a few parking spaces designated for wounded vets and is glad more are available to those who were injured while serving their country.
“It’s good to see the town take a step in the right direction.”
The Bellmawr resident attended Camden County College after serving in the military. Singh said he had a hard time walking to class from the parking lot. "I had a cane and had to carry books. It’s no easy task for anyone. There are a lot of Purple Heart recipients in the area that could benefit from this," he said.
Officials said 411 veteran students attend classes at Camden County College. Zaida Nogué, veteran services adviser at the college, hopes to see more spaces recognizing veterans in other parking lots across the college's campuses in Cherry Hill and Camden as well.
Moen encourages private businesses throughout the county to incorporate the designated parking spaces in their lots. "It's a small gesture. But often times, our veterans' sacrifices go unnoticed."
Other towns in South Jersey are saluting wounded veterans with the reserved parking spaces.
An East Vineland ShopRite supplemented handicapped parking with the reserved parking space last October, The Daily Journal reported.
Matt Flowers: (856) 486-2913; mflowers@gannettnj.com