Tickets are $25 each. They usually sell out quickly, so don’t delay to order your tickets!
17th Annual Purple Heart Banquet
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This year’s Purple Heart Banquet includes entertainment, patriotic tributes and a catered meal.
The 2025 banquet saluted more than 50 Purple Heart recipients. Contributions may be made payable to
Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation,
PO Box 168, Wake Forest, NC, 27588.
For more details, e-mail
Hosted by the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation, the Banquet honors those wounded in battle. In addition to Purple Heart Medal recipients and their families, the Banquet is open to all veterans and military families.
Note to Purple Heart Recipients: your invitation will be mailed. If you haven't received an invitation please e-mail: info@WakeForestPurpleHeartFoundation.org
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Can’t attend but would like to help? You can sponsor a Veteran for only $30. Click this Donate button to sponsor a Veteran!
Photo Gallery
Welcome!
The mission of the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation is to provide a forum for the local community to honor Purple Heart recipients and their families, to foster an environment of goodwill among combat wounded Veterans, to promote patriotism and to encourage the sharing of recipient experiences so future generations will know of the sacrifices made by Veterans and their families.
Saturday August 15, 2026 — 4:00 PM
The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, along with a mobile Education Center, came to Wake Forest on October 18 – 21, 2018 at the E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road, and was open 24 hours a day and was free to the public. The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and bears the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
Our new The Wall That Heals book commemorates this historic event. Full color with more than 100 pages of photos to help you relive this wonderful weekend. All proceeds go to support area veterans! Hardback 8.5 x 11 inches. $40.00 plus shipping.
Our Annual Purple Heart Banquet for 2026 will start at 3:00 PM for Recipients and 4:00 PM for General Admissions!
This will be the 17th Annual Purple Heart Banquet and once again, we will be at Richland Creek Community Church. Our Annual Banquet is an incredible way to pay tribute to any recipient of the Purple Heart. A refreshingly patriotic event, anyone in the community is welcome to attend or volunteer at the Banquet. Mark your calendar and make your plans now!
Our speaker this year is Clebe McClary and his wife Deanna.
First Lieutenant Patrick Cleburne McClary, III, USMC, Retired, known to thousands as “Clebe McClary,” is an American hero. During the Vietnam War, while some of his contemporaries were staging anti-war protests and desecrating the American flag, the Lowcountry native was serving as a platoon leader in the First Reconnaissance Battalion. On the battalion’s 19th patrol, the unit was attacked by the Viet Cong. Lieutenant McClary was seriously wounded, losing his left arm and left eye, yet he continued to lead his men. Clebe continued to lead his men. The numerous surgeries and long recovery period that followed could have taken a bitter toll, but he faced his rehabilitation with characteristic determination. Clebe’s valiant battle with the pain and disabilities that followed is nothing short of amazing. He spent more than two years in military hospitals, undergoing more than 30 major surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy. Since then Clebe has used his powerful story of courage, determination, and strength to motivate audiences the world over. Lieutenant McClary has become a symbol of courage and hope to the many audiences around the world with whom he has shared his story.
More photos on our About page.
This Year's Keynote Speaker —
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