Residents are invited to attend an event that adds North Royalton to the list of hundreds across the United States that honor the Military Order of the Purple Heart and are a part of the Purple Heart Trail. The event will take place on Saturday, May 29, at 11 a.m. near City Hall, in Memorial Park on State Road.
According to Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz, Resident Joseph Meyers contacted him in April, asking if the City could be a part of the Purple Heart Trail. He noted that “the Trail is a series of schools, highways, cities and states that all band together to support those in appreciation for their service and their sacrifice.” Antoskiewicz agreed and set the date for the installation event. Meyers said that he asked that the ceremony be on that date, as it was the birth date of President John F. Kennedy, who was the only president to receive the honor of receiving the Purple Heart. Meyers was a Purple Heart recipient in October of 2007. He received the Purple Heart award after being wounded in the Iraq war. Meyers is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH). He said he joined the Order because it was unifying. “When you get out of the military, you lose some of that camaraderie. With these different veteran organizations, you can regain that camaraderie.”
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Purple Heart “is one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces. Introduced as the ‘Badge of Military Merit’ by General George Washington in 1782, the Purple Heart is also the nation’s oldest military award. In military terms, the award had ‘broken service,’ as it was ignored for nearly 150 years until it was re-introduced on February 22, 1932, on the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth. The medal’s plain inscription ‘FOR MILITARY MERIT’ barely expresses its significance.” The medal is awarded to U.S. armed forces members or any civilian national of the United States who, while serving under authority with any one of the U.S. Armed Forces after April 5, 1917, that has been wounded, killed, or has died of wounds received under certain circumstances.
The Purple Heart Trail, established in 1992 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), is a “symbolic trail that commemorates and honors all men and women who have been wounded or killed in combat while serving the U.S. armed forces. The trail originates in Mount Vernon, VA – the burial location of General George Washington – and traverses across the United States and overseas as far as Puerto Rico and Guam,” according to MOPH officials.
“The signage program consists of the designation of an extensive system of roads, highways, bridges and memorials that pay tribute to the recipients of the Purple Heart medal and act as a visual reminder to those travelers that others have paid a high price for their freedom and to live in a free society. The tradition of the Purple Heart dates back to the Revolutionary War, when General George Washington created the ‘Badge of Military Merit’ to honor gallantry. This cloth badge fell into disuse after the war, but on February 22, 1932 in honor of the bicentennial anniversary of George Washington’s birth, General Douglas MacArthur restored it as the ‘Purple Heart’ medal.”

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer