PANAMA CITY BEACH — When her son was badly injured in Iraq in 2006, Linda Cope saw firsthand how war casualties impact more than the men and women on the battlefield.
Sgt. Joshua Cope lost both his legs above the knees in a bombing. The experience opened Linda Cope’s eyes to the impact of his wounds on not just her son, but on his wife and their children.
“We realized there needs to be attention given not only to the wounded warrior but to the caregiver,” Linda Cope said. “They are the unsung heroes of any war.”
So Cope started the Warrior Beach Retreat, which is not to be confused with the Wounded Warrior Project. This week’s Warrior Beach Retreat gives wounded warriors and their families a reprieve from their day-to-day, Cope said.
Wives might spend a day being pampered in a spa, while the men go fishing or play a round of golf. At the same time, they create support networks they can lean on in difficult times, Cope said.
In five years, Cope said, the retreat has seen great success in lifting spirits. She said marriages have been saved and suicides prevented as a result.
The Wounded Warrior Parade will begin Thursday at 4 p.m. The parade leaves the Grand Panama Beach Resort on Front Beach Road and proceeds through Panama City Beach and Panama City — it’s estimated to arrive at the Hathaway Bridge about 4:20 p.m. — en route to Lynn Haven United Methodist for a kickoff ceremony that begins at 7 p.m. and will feature remarks by at least one wounded warrior and Ret. Maj. Gen. Charles C. Baldwin.
The ceremony is free and will feature a meet-and-greet afterward. Cope urged people to show support by attending the ceremony or by lining the parade route.
“We just really want to let the community know how appreciative we are of their support, because without their support this would not happen,” Cope said.
Want to go?
- What: Warrior Beach Retreat parade and kickoff ceremony
- When: Thursday; parade at 4 p.m., kickoff at 7 p.m.
- Where: Parade starts at Grand Panama Beach Resort, 11807 Front Beach Road, and route includes Thomas Drive, the Hathaway Bridge, 23rd Street, State 77 and County 390; ceremony at Lynn Haven United Methodist, 4501 Transmitter Road
- More info: warriorbeachretreat.org
