Meeting Place:
Citrus County Builders Assn.
1196 S Lecanto Hwy
Lecanto, FL 33460
We meet every third Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September, November from 1pm-3pm. In April 2004, a group of 17 combat wounded veterans, comprised of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, gathered to organize a chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) in Citrus County, Florida.
At the April organizational meeting, the combat wounded veterans in attendance voted unanimously to form a MOPH chapter for the purpose of "Preserving the proud legacy of the Purple Heart Medal" and to name the chapter in honor of Chief Warrant Officer Aaron A. Aaron was killed in Iraq on January 8, 2004, when the UH-60 helicopter in which he was a passenger was brought down by hostile ground fire with no survivors. Aaron, an Army aviator and Ranger, was a Citrus County native and a graduate of Citrus High School and Central Florida Community College, which is now the College of Central Florida. On August 11, 2004, the chapter was officially chartered under the hand and seal of the National Commander, Military Order of the Purple Heart of the United States of America, Inc. Weaver Chapter # 776 with 21 charter members. Chapter 776 has the distinction of having one of its members selected as the 2016 MOPH U.S.A. National Patriot of the Year and two of its members inducted into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. The Chapter 776/Citrus County Tax Collector Office fundraising partnership has raised over $235,000 for the benefit of the Citrus County Veterans Foundation, which is Chapter 776’s principal charity. Since inception, Chapter 776 has grown to 130 Patriot members and 49 Associate members who are primarily from Citrus and Hernando counties.
