Group To Honor Purple Heart Recipients On Friday

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The Johns Creek Veterans Association invites all Purple Heart recipients to join them on Friday in a ceremony honoring military personnel wounded and killed in service to their country.

In the hour-long ceremony set for Aug. 7, JCVA members will read the names of those in uniform from metro-Atlanta slain in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They also will recognize Purple Heart recipients in the audience.

All Purple Heart recipients are encouraged to wear their Purple Heart, as Aug. 7 is National Purple Heart Day.

Speakers include Mayor Mike Bodker and retired Army Col. Rick White, a Vietnam veteran, and Rick Graham, director of operations for the Georgia Department of Veterans Services.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the Main Entrance Plaza of the Johns Creek Memorial Walk at Newtown Park, which is located at 3150 Old Alabama Road.

To heighten awareness of the sacrifices by military men and women, Johns Creek in April successfully sought a “Purple Heart City” designation by the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

The Purple Heart, the nation’s oldest medal, is a combat decoration and was created by Gen. George Washington in 1782. The current Purple Heart medal was developed by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1932, and is awarded to members of the military who are wounded by the enemy and to the survivors of those killed in action.

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Photo credit: city of Johns Creek