Warrior Beach Retreat honors wounded veterans, spouses with Panama City Beach vacation

Nathan Cobb, The News Herald
·2 min read

PANAMA CITY BEACH — As president and founder of Warrior Beach Retreat Inc., Linda Cope says she believes the sacrifices of veterans should never be forgotten.

To give back to these heroes, Cope's organization is gearing up to host a biannual event later this month — also dubbed the Warrior Beach Retreat — that will give 10 select combat-wounded veterans and their spouses or caretakers the chance to take a one-week vacation to Panama City Beach.

The event also will include a parade throughout the community to honor veterans, along with a ceremony at a local church.

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A local nonprofit organization is gearing up to host the Fall 2022 Warrior Beach Retreat in Panama City Beach to give back to combat wounded veterans and their spouses or caretakers.
A local nonprofit organization is gearing up to host the Fall 2022 Warrior Beach Retreat in Panama City Beach to give back to combat wounded veterans and their spouses or caretakers.

"They have sacrificed so much in ways that we can't even imagine for us to enjoy the freedoms that we have in this country," Cope said. "We don't need to forget what they have done so we can be the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Cope noted her organization's mission is to not only appreciate and give back to veterans, but also their spouses and caretakers, whom she described as "the unsung heroes of war."

Based in Panama City Beach, Warrior Beach Retreat Inc. was founded by Cope more than a decade ago after her son, retired U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Cope, lost both his legs above the knee from an improvised explosive device detonated in Iraq.

The organization is not affiliated with the Wounded Warrior Project.

The 10 couples who will participate in the fall 2022 Warrior Beach Retreat will arrive in Panama City Beach on Oct. 25 and stay until Oct. 31. The event's parade and ceremony will be held Oct. 27.

Warrior Beach Retreat parade details

The parade will begin at 4 p.m. and depart from Bluegreen's Bayside Resort & Spa off Jan Cooley Drive in Panama City Beach. It then will end at the St. Andrew United Methodist Church off West 11th Street in Panama City, where the ceremony will begin at 7 p.m.

For a breakdown of the parade route, visit warriorbeachretreat.org. Donations to the group, which help fund future retreats, can be made through the website.

The group also plans to host a barbecue fundraiser on Oct. 21 at the Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital off Harrison Avenue in Panama City.

"So many of the warriors who come went straight from the battlefield, to the hospital, to home and never got a hero's welcome, and this (event) brings closure beyond what they can imagine," Cope said. "It's healing in more ways than they can imagine for these (veterans and their spouses or caretakers) to know there's a community that still cares."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Warrior Beach Retreat in Panama City Beach honors veterans, spouses