BANGOR, Maine — Local members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart received a standing ovation Monday night, when the Bangor City Council presented them a framed proclamation declaring Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day in the city.
In doing so, city councilors formally recognized the men and women from Maine who left their families and communities “to place themselves in harm’s way for the good of all.”
Purple Heart Medal recipients Jack Monroe, Norman Rossignol and Galen Cole accepted the honors on behalf of Maine soldiers who have been wounded at war. Monroe said there are 364 active members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart throughout Maine.
The state’s Military Order of the Purple Heart Monument is located on the grounds of the Cole Land Transportation Museum on Perry Road in Bangor. The museum also houses the State of Maine World War II Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park.
Monroe said other members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart will be receiving similar honors in the coming weeks in Portland and Augusta.
Monroe said that the Purple Heart was established by Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War as a way of bolstering to morale of his troops, who essentially fought with nothing and were poorly fed and clothed.
Washington created the Badge of Military Merit by executive order in August 1782. After a period of misuse after the Revolutionary War, then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Douglas MacArthur reinstated it and renamed it the Purple Heart.
It is only presented to combat wounded veterans, he said.