Four Generations of Combat Veterans Honored at Purple Heart Ceremony
- Vero Minute
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
58 combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star families received hand-carved canes at the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce on January 17. The Purple Heart Cane Project's annual ceremony brought together heroes spanning conflicts from World War II through Afghanistan, and by the end of the ceremony, there weren't many dry eyes left in the crowd.
Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia took the stage alongside Congressman Brian Mast. Vietnam veteran Lloyd Lasenby, who founded the project, led an afternoon which honored the sacrifices of those who were injured in service of our country. Bellavia, the nation's only living Operation Iraqi Freedom Medal of Honor recipient, has partnered with Indian River State College since 2023 to support student veterans and organizes the college's annual Veteran's Day clay shoot.
Volunteers from the Indian River Woodcarvers Club gather every week, hand-carving eagle heads and inscribing each piece with the veteran's name, rank, service branch, dates of service, location of injury, and military awards earned.
Recipients traveled from 15 states. Some families accepted canes on behalf of fallen loved ones. Among those honored: Adam J. McCann, Andrew Walden, Albert Norton, Michael S. Evans II, Thomas O. Felke, Christopher S. Fowlk, Daniel A. Bernard, Margaux Mange-Donahue, and dozens more whose service spans generations.
A special thanks to Ross Rowlinson for capturing this ceremony. You can watch the full video at usawarriorstories.org.
The Purple Heart Cane Project members meet every Tuesday make these one-of-a-kind hand-crafted canes. If you would like to get involved, contact Lloyd Lasenby at (772) 370-6875 or Lloyd@purpleheartcaneproject.org.
