Purple Heart Ceremony Scheduled for Saturday
The Needham Veterans of foreign Wars Post 2498 is honoring Needham’s Purple Heart recipients with a ceremony Saturday, August 7th, which is National Purple Heart Day. The observance will begin on Saturday evening at Memorial Park at 6:45 pm with the raising of the Purple Heart Standard on the flagpole at Memorial Park. A reading of the names of all Needham residents who received the Purple Heart will then commence. The Fallen Brave Memorial lists over 84 names, beginning with the First world War. The Veterans of Foreign Wars will be joined at Memorial flagpole by members of the Needham Exchange Club, the Knights of Columbus, the Needham Police and Fire Departments, the public is invited. After the Purple Heart Standard is raised, it will remain there for the next three days, in honor of Purple Heart Day and the anniversary of the battle of Guadalcanal, which occurred on August 7th, 1942. It was America’s first major amphibious landing of World War II. The Purple Heart medal, it is the oldest U.S. military decoration; General George Washington awarded the first purple-colored heart-shaped badges to soldiers who fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It is now awarded to servicemen and women who were wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States or because of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed force.