Upland Borough Man Creates Parking Spaces For Wounded Veterans
by Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Upland Borough is recognizing wounded war veterans in a very special way, just in time for Veterans Day.
"I didn't take no stuff," says Cpl William Hilton. "I was lean and mean."
The 83-year-old army veteran spent a year on the front lines in the Korean War in the early 1950s; yet he vividly remembers those days.
"The North Koreans walked down to my fox hole," says Hilton, "after being bombarded for three days."
The West Chester native was just 16 when he enlisted. He told a crowd of fellow veterans stories of combat at "Heartbreak Ridge" in North Korea.
He says he fought in a segregated division when there were few African Americans being promoted at the time.
He was shot in the shoulder, thumb and knee. He says his heroism earned him the rank of corporal and three purple hearts. But discrimination meant he wasn't recognized by the government until years after he returned.
"I had a job to do and I did it," he says, "I was a young fellah-- so it didn't matter to me."
So it's only fitting that Corporal Hilton is the first to experience the honor of using the new Combat Warrior parking spaces recently dedicated at the Upland Shopping Center.
They're purple, the same color as a purple heart, the military's highest honor.
"I am proud, I am proud that I can be a part of it," says William Dennon, a councilman for the Upland Borough.
Dennon is the force behind the two neon purple parking spaces. He got the managers at Sam & Sam's Meats to agree to designate the spaces; he then took donated paint from Sherman Williams and painted the spaces purple, tacking up a free sign from the Wounded Warriors.
"Any vet who wants to park here, this space is for that," he says, "I just wanted to do something-- and I really want to see this go world-wide."
Dennon's father is a veteran, so is his brother in law. So is Robert Garrity, the general manager at Sam & Sam's Meats.
"It was an honor to be a part of this," he says, "I know how the country treated our veterans when they came back, especially during that period."
Upland Mayor Mike Ciach was on hand to thank Hilton and other veterans for their service. They all came out to see the new purple spaces at work.
"This is why we do it," says Ciach.
A small honor, for a mighty sacrifice.
For more on how to create Wounded Combat Veteran parking in your neighborhood, go to http://www.wwfs.org/mobility-is-freedom/combat-wounded-parking-signs.
