TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam invites Purple Heart recipients and their families to participate in a special Operation Outdoor Freedom event on Purple Heart Day, Aug. 7, at Camp Prairie in Lake Wales, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. To honor Purple Heart recipients, the Florida Forest Service is dedicating the 4,500-acre Prairie Tract, which includes Camp Prairie, as a Purple Heart Tract.
“I am honored to host our nation’s heroes at Operation Outdoor Freedom’s Purple Heart Day event,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “This Purple Heart Prairie Tract is one small way to thank our veterans and honor America’s Purple Heart recipients.”
Interested Purple Heart recipients can find additional information and RSVP by Wednesday, August 1, at OperationOutdoorFreedom.com or by emailingOperationOutdoorFreedom@FreshFromFlorida.com. Participants will enjoy airboat tours, swamp buggy rides and a prepared lunch.
Camp Prairie is a first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to Operation Outdoor Freedom events. The fully-equipped camp consists of bunk houses, an outdoor kitchen, dining area and restroom facilities, and is outfitted to accommodate the needs of every veteran.
Spearheaded by Commissioner Putnam, Operation Outdoor Freedom provides wounded veterans with guided hunts, fishing trips, canoe tours and other outdoor recreational activities free of charge. Since the program was launched in 2011, Operation Outdoor Freedom has hosted more than 3,600 wounded veterans on more than 480 outdoor events.
Wounded veterans participate in these events on state forests, private lands and along the state’s coast, and the excursions are funded through private donations.
For more information, visit OperationOutdoorFreedom.com.
