The St. Charles County Council is honoring recipients of the Purple Heart medal for their courage and sacrifice by designating the county as a Purple Heart County. The Purple Heart is the oldest U.S. military decoration in use, recognizing those who are wounded or killed in the line of duty.
“We want to show our appreciation for the sacrifices of our military men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to defend our nation,” says Council Chair Terry Hollander. “They have earned our gratitude and support, and we are honored to share our community with Purple Heart veterans who call St. Charles County home.”
Purple Heart County designations are recognized by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, a nationwide veterans’ service organization comprised entirely of Purple Heart recipients. Eighty-five of Missouri’s 114 counties have now become Purple Heart Counties, with veterans across the state advocating to make Missouri the second state to have all its counties adopt this designation.
“As a veteran and chair of the St. Charles County Veterans Best Practices Working Group, I appreciate the Council’s support in making our county a Purple Heart County,” says Elections Director Kurt Bahr. “Their formal recognition of all combat-wounded veterans from our county in wars past, present and future is a significant way to pay our respects to those veterans who sacrificed in times of great strife. This resolution tells the veterans in St. Charles County that their service is recognized and valued.”
The Council’s Purple Heart County resolution can be found at sccmo.org/PurpleHeartCounty. For more information on the St. Charles County Veterans Best Practices Working Group, visit sccmo.org/VBPWG.