CARIBOU, Maine — On Aug. 7, in honor of Purple Heart Remembrance Day, members of Caribou’s Veterans of Foreign Wars joined with the Caribou Veterans Park Committee to recognize those who were injured in the nation’s defense.
VFW and committee members conducted a Purple Heart Day ceremony and wreath laying at Veterans Park.
According to the VFW’s Roger Felix, the Purple Heart is the country’s oldest military award and is given to those injured and/or killed in battle.
“Since the Revolutionary War,” he said, “over 1.8 million Purple Hearts have been awarded to our brave citizens who fought to protect our freedom.”
The ceremony outlined the importance and history of the Purple Heart, and recognized the many Purple Heart recipients who were in attendance. To conclude the event, three local Purple Heart recipients placed a wreath at the Purple Heart monument in the park.
Later that morning, another ceremony followed at the Maine Veterans Home in Caribou for the veterans who were not able to attend the first event. Three Purple Heart recipients from the residence placed a wreath at the home to honor all Purple Heart recipients.
“The Caribou VFW and Caribou Veterans Park committee would like to thank Kimber Noyes, a Purple Heart recipient, for making the beautiful wreaths and for being one of the recipients to place a wreath at the memorial park,” Felix said. “And special thanks to Don Collins, a double Purple Heart recipient, for being part of the wreath ceremony at the Maine Veterans Home.”
