By Michele Leivas
Jacksonville honored its Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families at an Aug. 7 Purple Heart Day ceremony held at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall.
“The heroes we are recognizing and remembering this evening are those who put their duty above all else,” Mayor Donna Deegan said during her address. “They sacrificed everything, putting themselves in harm’s way to protect and serve our great nation.”
Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) William Smith led a moment of remembrance for World War II Veteran Frank Pupura, who passed away earlier this year.
“A roll call was conducted,” said Smith, a Vietnam veteran and member of both the Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 524 and the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. “It is my sad duty to report our oldest and most active member, World War II Veteran Frank Purpura, is absent. He is now reporting to a much higher power.”
Following the ceremony, the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Color Guard led attendees on a quarter-mile walk along the city’s Purple Heart Trail, where city officials unveiled new Purple Heart markers commemorating Jacksonville’s designation as a Purple Heart City.
Aug. 7 has been recognized as Purple Heart Day since 2012, when the Florida legislature designated it as such to honor the recipients of the military’s oldest award. Its predecessor, the Badge of Military Merit, was established by President George Washington in 1782. It became known as the Purple Heart Medal in 1932 thanks to Army General Douglas MacArthur.
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor estimates there have been 1.8 million Purple Heart recipients.
