Proud to be Purple in N. Idaho
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.
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On this Easter Sunday, we have a wish: That someday in the not too distant future, the very last of America’s Purple Heart recipients marches forward into the Great Beyond, never to be replicated or replaced.
That dream of peace is fantasy, of course, at least for now. And before they go, this nation owes all veterans — Purple Heart winners in the front ranks — its eternal thanks and respect.
In a poignant ceremony Tuesday in the conference room of this newspaper, local veteran activist Graham Crutchfield helped assemble six regional Purple Heart winners and three mayors. The Purple Heart heroes were awarded prestigious Buck commemorative knives, a tradition Crutchfield, a former Marine, started in 2005 for current and former military personnel. The first knives were awarded in the spring of 2006.
The three mayors — Steve Widmyer of Coeur d’Alene, Steve Griffitts of Hayden, and Mac Pooler of Kellogg — prepared proclamations and received beautiful metal signs declaring their communities Purple Heart Cities. That’s a tremendous honor for those communities, and one we hope spreads throughout North Idaho.
Two of the Purple Heart recipients are Idaho’s leaders in The Military Order of the Purple Heart, Ned Barker and Donald Turano. With just two chapters in the southern part of the state, North Idaho needs its Purple Heart recipients to step forward and help form a chapter of these uniquely distinguished Americans. And not just the oldtime heroes; the younger ones from Iraq and Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
We understand that many who served and yes, particularly those who shed blood for our freedom, shy away from any kind of public recognition. But we also believe the sacrifices these men and women made must never be taken for granted, and that’s what will happen if Purple Heart recognition bleeds into obscurity.
We now have three Purple Heart cities. Let’s honor these heroes and declare ourselves a Purple Heart North Idaho.
If you or someone you know living anywhere in North Idaho is a Purple Heart recipient, please have them contact either of these gentlemen:
Ned Barker, mophidaho@gmail.com or 208-939-6784; or Donald Turano, dturano@att.net or 208-888-3926. They’ll make it easy to create a chapter up here we can all be proud of.