The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday thought so highly of veterans that the opening pledge of alliegance at the BOCC was led by a Vietnam-era Purple Heart recipient.
This was the first way commissioners honored Purple Heart recipents. The second way was to proclaim Aug. 7, 2021 as Purple Heart Day in Citrus County.
The Purple Heart, originally known as the Military Badge of Merit, was established by the General Orders of General George Washington 239 years ago on Aug.7 , 1782 and is the oldest military decoration in the world in present use.
The U.S. War Department first adopted the Purple Heart as a combat award on Feb. 22, 1932 exclusively for those members of the Armed Forces who are killed, died of wounds or were wounded by an enemy instrument of war.
The proclamation notes that more than 1.7 million members of the Armed Forces of the United States have been awarded the Purple Heart, and merit the reverence of their fellow countrymen for selflessly sacrificing their lives or shedding their blood on the field of battle in defense of this American Republic and its cherished freedoms.
in 2012, Florida Governor Rick Scott enacted legislation passed by the Florida Legislature in 2012 designating Aug. 7 of each year as Purple
Heart Day.
The proclamation also notes that Citrus County is a Purple Heart County, and home to more than a dozen designated Purple Heart entities, to include 2 Purple Heart cities, the first Purple Heart School District and Law Enforcement agency in the nation, Florida’s first State Forest Purple Heart Trail, and Florida’s first Purple Heart Tax Collector office.
The proclamation ends by saying, “NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of County Commissioners of Citrus County, Florida, does hereby proclaim Aug. 7, 2021 as Purple Heart Day , and recognizes the 239th anniversary of the Purple Heart and by paying tribute to all Purple Heart recipients for their extraordinary sacrifice and bravery on the field of battle and in saluting the Military Order of the Purple Heart as a national organization dedicated to preserving the proud legacy of the Purple Heart.”