SOUTH DEERFIELD — An idea long on many residents’ minds became a reality on Thursday, when Deerfield officially became a Purple Heart Community.
“This is something that should’ve happened a while ago,” Selectboard Chair Blake Gilmore said after the ceremony at Deerfield Town Hall.
Gilmore traced the Purple Heart ceremony’s first spark to Joe Savage, a Deerfield native now in Boston who brought up the idea several years ago to honor friends, uncles and cousins he grew up with who had served in World War II and the Korean War and earned the Purple Heart.
The Purple Heart honors American soldiers who were wounded or killed by enemy aggression or friendly fire during enemy engagement, or who have suffered injuries from explosions or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in armed conflicts, Forrest Abild, a trustee of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, told the audience.
To designate Deerfield as a Purple Heart Community and Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day in town, Gilmore read a proclamation.
“The people of Deerfield, Massachusetts hold great admiration and the utmost gratitude for all citizens of our community who have selflessly served in the armed forces and whose service has been vital in preserving the freedoms and the way of life enjoyed by all Americans,” Gilmore read. “The Purple Heart represents a sacred legacy of courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty for those who have bore the wounds of war in service to our nation.”
He added that the town “[encourages] all residents, organizations and institutions to display the American flag, and participate in appropriate expressions of recognition and gratitude for our Purple Heart recipients” on Aug. 7.
Alongside Abild and Al Varelas, a Purple Heart recipient and the New England commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Gilmore and fellow Selectboard members Trevor McDaniel and Tim Hilchey unveiled the Purple Heart signs that will soon be located near the town lines — by the Sunderland Bridge; the Whately Road and Route 116 intersection; the Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 116; and Ruggeri’s Beverage & Redemption Center.
About 20 residents stopped by Town Hall for Thursday’s ceremony.
“We’re proud that your town [pursued becoming a] Purple Heart” Community, Varelas said.
Although he has spoken at Purple Heart ceremonies across New England, Varelas said Deerfield holds a “special meaning” to him due to his memories of hosting antique shows at Douglas Auctioneers and grabbing a bite to eat at the Gables Restaurant before it became the second location for Whitney Hill Antiques.
Varelas told the crowd that the Purple Heart, the oldest military recognition, started with the country’s first president, who gave a piece of purple cloth cut into a heart and sewn with the word “Merit” to soldiers in Newburgh, New York, on Aug. 7, 1782.
“The color purple was chosen at first to symbolize courage and bravery,” Abild explained. “Purple has historical ties to royalty and nobility, which further emphasizes the honor associated with the medal.”
Before it became the Purple Heart, it was the Badge of Military Merit. George Washington created the recognition to honor worthy American soldiers, according to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor’s website. Only three Revolutionary War soldiers are known to have earned the recognition before it faded after the Revolution and was finally revived more than a century later in 1932 as the Purple Heart people know today. Since then, more than 1.8 million soldiers have earned the recognition.
Varelas added that the Military Order of the Purple Heart’s membership, as well as that of local legions and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, is “dwindling.” He and Abild, who also earned the Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam, encouraged the attendees to tell veterans in their circles to connect with each other.
“It’s therapeutic when you get together with fellow combat veterans,” Abild said. “It’s a different language that you talk that philosophically or intellectually you can explain it and people understand it, but without the feeling, it’s totally different.”
