Guilford Declares Aug. 7 As National Purple Heart Day

GUILFORD, CT —When Larry Santamaria returned home from Vietnam in 1971, being part of the Guilford Veterans of Foreign Wars post helped him find his way as he worked to help other veterans.

As U.S. Marine veteran Santamaria told Patch in 2021, he spent almost three years in Vietnam, was wounded and received the Purple Heart.

"When we came back from Vietnam, we all had our problems. We all had PTSD," he said at the time. "That's how I dealt with that; helping other veterans. That's how I made my way through life."

This week, in a small ceremony at the Community Center, First Selectman Matt Hoey presented VFW Post #7666 Commander Santamaria with a proclamation declaring August 7th as National Purple Heart Day in Guilford.

National Purple Heart Day is a day for Americans to remember and honor the men and women who bravely represented their country and were wounded or killed while serving.