To honor those veterans who have been wounded or have made the supreme sacrifice while in service to the country, Town Supervisor John Venditto has officially proclaimed the Town of Oyster Bay to be a “Purple Heart Town.” The designation was made at the June 11th meeting of the Oyster Bay Town Board with the issuance of an official Town proclamation, which was presented to representatives from the New York State Military Order of the Purple Heart and Chapter 417 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
“Many men and women have rendered great service to our nation, but the service rendered by those who served in the military in times of war is not merely great, it is incalculable,” explained Supervisor Venditto. “It is our duty as citizens of this free nation to honor that great tradition of service and perpetuate the memory of the sacrifices of the dedicated men and women who so loyally served this country.”
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The Purple Heart is the oldest military award that is still given to members of the U.S. military. There have been almost 2 million military members killed in action or wounded Purple Heart recipients in the United States of America.
According to Supervisor Venditto, the original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington—then the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army – by order from his Newburgh, New York headquarters on August 7, 1782. The Badge of Military Merit was only awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers and from then on as its legend grew, so did its appearance. Although never abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again officially until after World War I.
“The award serves as an important reminder to military personnel past and present, that their extraordinary sacrifices and hardships are remembered and truly appreciated,” Supervisor Venditto said. “The Freedoms we all enjoy in this great Nation are directly attributable to the exemplary service of our men and women in uniform. If the time ever comes when we fail to remember and reflect upon the sacrifices of our veterans, we will surely lose the freedoms that we’ve come to enjoy as citizens of the United State of America.”
Supervisor Venditto said that he and his colleagues on the Oyster Bay Town Board are proud to join in honoring and recognizing all who have served this country in the military and particularly recognize those who have been either wounded or killed in the service in defense of the United States of America. “It is our special honor and privilege to declare the Town of Oyster Bay to be a Purple Heart Town,” Supervisor Venditto said. “It is the sacrifice of these brave men and women that have made the United States of America the land of the free.”
