Julie M. Cohen
Saying “Thank you,” may be a perfunctory, reflexive act in our everyday lives, but at the recent Belmont Purple Heart ceremony, those two words were spoken with deep and heartfelt meaning for the sacrifices made by town veterans.
About 50 or so people gathered last week at the Belmont Veterans Memorial to pay tribute to service members from Belmont who received the honor as well as to the Gold Star Families left behind. Many veterans in attendance at the fourth annual event wore side caps emblazoned with the names of the military branches in which they served.
The Rev. Dr. Paul K. S. Kim, National Chaplain of the Korean War Veterans Association, waits for the ceremony to begin. (Bruce Coulter/Belmont Voice) 
Retired Marine Col. Michael Callanan welcomes guests to the ceremony at the Belmont Veterans Memorial on Aug. 7. (Bruce Coulter/Belmont Voice) 
Retired Marine Col. Michael Callanan, left, and Belmont Veteran Services Officer Bob Upton chat before the ceremony begins. (Bruce Coulter/Belmont Voice) 
A monument dedicated to Lt. Gen. Robert F. Foley, a Massachusetts native, honors his courage in Vietnam. (Bruce Coulter/Belmont Voice) 
John Swisher, the chaplain of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1272 in Belmont, offers the invocation during Purple Heart Day ceremonies at the Belmont Veterans Memorial. (Bruce Coulter/Belmont Voice) 
The Purple Heart Memorial Service in Belmont. (Bruce Coulter/Belmont Voice) 
The crowd during the Purple Heart Memorial. (Bruce Coulter/Belmont Voice)
After the opening prayer by VFW Chaplain John Swisher, Select Board Member Matt Taylor acknowledged the “deep tradition in Belmont” of service and praised Purple Heart recipients’ “willingness to go above and beyond.”
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Services, the Purple Heart “is one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces. Introduced as the ‘Badge of Military Merit’ by General George Washington in 1782, the Purple Heart is also the nation’s oldest military award.”
He also thanked them for the “hard fought and hard earned” peaceful days the rest of the country can enjoy due to their heroic acts.
After being introduced by retired Marine Col. Mike Callanan, main speaker Joe Henebury gave a brief speech about the award as well as the subsequent challenges and difficulties faced by veterans and their families.
A list of Belmont Purple Heart Recipients
- According to the Belmont Veterans Memorial Committee, the following 147 residents have been awarded the Purple Heart:
- World War I
- SGT Reginald I. Briggs
- PFC Arthur V. Garland
- PVT John W. Glynn
- PVT Frederick G. Harmon
- PVT Hugh L. Kehoe
- CPT Leo T. Kewer
- PFC John J. Lally
- SGT Arthur C. Lamson
- CPL Harold J. McQuin
- PFC Oscar N. Morlin
- SGT Carleton M. Patriquin
- CPL Cornelius F. Savage
- Mec William H. Smith
- SGT C Staves
- SFC Chester R. Thomas
- All U.S. Army
- World War II
- PVT Robert S. Anderson USA
- Tech 5 John J. Andriolo USA
- 2 LT Edward J. Babin USA
- CPT Dikran Barronian USA
- CPT David B. Bartlett USA
- CPL Joseph E. Beebe USA
- CPT Albert C. Belknap USA
- 2LT Albert L. Berrie USA
- 1LT Charles B. Birdsey USA
- PFC David Bonfiglio USA
- 1LT Edward L. Brown USA
- PVT William J. Brown USMC
- PFC Samuel Bruno USA
- 1LT Edward F. Burns USA
- SGT Charles P. Burrows USA
- PVT Aldo J. Callarino USA
- SGT Joseph H. Carroll USA
- TSgt Amadeo Castagno USA
- PFC Vincent A. Castagno USA
- SSG Gerlad E. Caufield USA
- PFC Frank Colarusso USA
- CPT Patrick J. Collins USA
- SSG Lawrence L. Connors USA
- PFC Arnold F. Cooke
- SSG Roger B. Corey USA
- Tec3 Joseph Cucinotta USA
- PFC Paul DeLorry USA
- 2LT Joseph C. Denaro USA
- PFC Frank DeSefano Jr USA
- PVT Robert A. Doherty USA
- 1LT Thomas S. Dwan III USA
- SGT Kenneth C. Dwinell USA
- Tec5 Frederick Egan USA
- 1LT Alexander Ellis Jr USA
- PFC Eugene R. Flood USA
- SSG Edward Flynn USA
- 2dLt John Fogerty USMC
- LT(JG) William Gallagher USN
- PVT Carmine JC Garafano USA
- CPT Frank W. Gardner USA
- PVT Frank P. Garofano USA
- S2c Matthew F. Glynn USN
- CPT Frederick J. Goulet USA
- PVT David F. Graneri USA
- CPT Frederick H. Greene USA
- EM2c Felix F. Guia USN
- PVT Daniel L. Hart USA
- 2LT William D. Haskell USA
- SSG Robert J. Henley USA
- 1LT Richar L. Hodder USA
- SGT Henry Hollingshead USA
- PFC Thedore Hoople USA
- SGT Robert C. Horton USA
- CPT Winthrop S. Jameson Jr USA
- PFC Earle S. Jenkins USA
- CPL Henry Joseph USA
- PhM2c Daniel A. Joy USN
- PVT Edward E. Kelleher USA
- PFC Joseph E. Kendall USA
- PFC Joseph J. Lania USA
- 1LT Edwin J. Lannigan USA
- CPT Vincent C. Lanigan USA
- 1LT Charles H. Lawrence Jr USA
- 1LT Blanchard Leacy USA
- SSG Ernest LeBlanc USA
- CPL James F. Lee USA
- PFC Richard V. Lenk USA
- PVT Louis E. Lepore USA
- PFC Eugene Libby USA
- PFC Dominic Mafa USA
- PFC James P. Markham USMC
- PFC Francis X. McCormick USA
- LT(JG) John E. O’Neil Jr USN
- SSG Howard F. Palmer USA
- PFC Arthur C. Pappas USMC
- PFC George Paris USA
- Tec4 Pasquale R. Perrino USA
- SSG Joseph A. Poirier Jr USA
- CPL Samuel M. Pocari USA
- 2LT Charles R. Pomponio USA
- SGT George T. Portal USMC
- CPT Edward B. Rand USA
- SSG Richard S. Riley USA
- PVT William Riordan USA
- Tec5 Alfred P. Rita USA
- 1LT Edwin M. Robinson USA
- Rad2c Richard C. Robinson USN
- PFC Harry Salvo USA
- PFC Angelo B. Santamaria USA
- PVT Edwin C. Sears USA
- CPL Robert J. Shaughnessy USA
- PVT Robert E. Sofrin Jr USA
- SSG Gilbert Sousa USA
- 1LT Richard S. Sparrow USA
- SSG Charles F. Spear Jr USA
- PFC Norman R. Spector USA
- 1LT Jean S. Spector USA
- PFC John T. Stanton USA
- PFC Joseph W. Stickney USA
- S1c John E. Sullivan USN
- 2LT Joseph E. Sullivan
- PFC joseph W. Symonds USA
- 2LT Charles B. Temple USA
- PFC Gerard L. Theriault USA
- PVT Harold F. Thomas USA
- 2LT Salvatore A. Toste USA
- LTC James H. Townsend USA
- PFC James P. White USA
- 1LT Richard R. Whiteside USA
- MAJ Russell B. Wright USA
- Korean War
- PFC Paul A. Almond USMC
- LT(JG) Richard S. Fahey USN
- 1LT John F. Fitgerald USA
- SGT John J. O’Connor Jr USMC
- CPL Eliot F. Porter Jr USA
- CPL William R. Rawlings Jr USA
- CPL Thomas R. Roche USMC
- Vietnam War
- PFC John C. Chavis USA
- SP4 Allan J. Eastman USA
- LTG Robert F. Foley USA
- SP4 Taber F. Ghais USA
- Lt Col David H. Holmes USAF
- Lt Col Everett O. Kerr USAF
- 1LT Robert M. Larson USA
- SGT Edward G. Lee USA
- SP4 Walter D. Ray USA
- L Cpl Joseph D. Henebury USMC
- Iraq/Afghanistan Wars
- SPC Jonathan M. Curtis USA
- L Cpl Brian O’Donovan USMC
- CPL Connor Maguire USMC
A recipient of the Silver Star and the Purple Heart, both in 1965, Henebury recalled serving in the Marines during the Vietnam War, talking about a friend who didn’t make it back.
As he discussed the Purple Heart, he said that recipients come from three categories:
- A service member who is wounded in combat, sent to a hospital where they are serving and sent back into combat
- A service member who is wounded and sent back to the U.S. for treatment with “wounds [that] effect you for the rest of your life”
- ·A service member who has made “the supreme sacrifice for their country” and their family has been given the medal in their honor. These relatives become Gold Star Families.
Henebury also spoke about “hidden” injuries and the dangers and tragic consequences of PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome).
Exhorting the small crowd to be “vigilant” about signs of PTSD – including isolation – Henebury said many veterans “still suffer to this day.” He advised reaching out to the VA as well as Belmont Veterans’ Services Officer Bob Upton for help as he wrapped up his comments.
Other interesting facts about the Purple Heart, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Services:
The Purple Heart is ranked immediately behind the Bronze Star and ahead of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal in order of precedence.
·For unknown reasons, the medal apparently was not awarded again immediately after 1782. In fact, it was not until October 1927, after World War I, that Gen. Charles Summerall proposed that a bill be submitted to Congress to revive the “Badge of Military Merit.”
In 1928, the Army’s office of the adjutant general was instructed to file the materials concerning the proposed medal.
In January 1931, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Summerall’s successor as Army chief of staff, resurrected the idea for the medal.
On Feb. 22, 1932 – the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth – the War Department (predecessor to the Department of Defense) announced the establishment of the Purple Heart award
Until Executive Order 9277 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in December 1942 authorized award of the Purple Heart to personnel from all military services (retroactive to Dec. 7, 1941), the medal was exclusively an Army award. The executive order also stated that the Purple Heart was to be awarded to persons who “are wounded in action against an enemy of the United States, or as a result of an act of such enemy, provided such would necessitate treatment by a medical officer.”
- In November 1952, President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order extending eligibility for the award to April 5, 1917, to coincide with the eligibility dates for Army personnel
Executive Order 12464 signed by President Ronald Reagan in February 1984, authorized award of the Purple Heart as a result of terrorist attacks or while serving as part of a peacekeeping force subsequent to March 28, 1973.
The 1998 National Defense Authorization Act removed civilians from the list of personnel eligible
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