Colorado Doesn’t Seem To Acknowledge ‘Purple Heart Recognition Day’ On August 7th – We Need To Change That

Legislation can be good.  Take for example “Purple Heart Recognition Day” on August 7th. This is a 'working holiday' dedicated to remembering and recognizing those members of the Armed Forces of the United States who have earned the Purple Heart Medal for wounds received in combat.

There is no medal older or more honored than the Purple Heart which actually began on August 7th, 1782 by George Washington and originally called the 'Badge of Military Merit.'

Here is the most fascinating fact I just learned:

During World War II, nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured in anticipation of the estimated casualties resulting from the planned Allied invasion of Japan. To the present date, total combined American military casualties of the sixty-five years following the end of World War II—including the Korean and Vietnam Wars—have not exceeded that number. In 2003, there were still 120,000 of these Purple Heart medals in stock. There are so many in surplus that combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan are able to keep Purple Hearts on-hand for immediate award to wounded soldiers in the field.

Back to my original point.  Former President Bill Clinton years ago enacted legislation to honor these Purple Heart recipients on August 7th each year; hence my problem.  I see that many states do in fact honor this day but I don't see that Colorado does and wondered why.

And if not, how do we change that!  I have sent an email and called the Colorado Department of Veterans Affairs with no answer as of yet but there is no information on the website. If you know something I don't please leave a comment so I can do my part and let others know of these activities they may want to participate in and if there are none, we need to change that for 2014.

For starters, if you know a recipient of a Purple Heart maybe run their picture as your Facebook profile pic on the 7th and tell people why you are doing so?  It's a start to raising awareness for this day of recognition.

(Featured picture is personal friend and confidant Colonel William R. Shure - Retired, United States Army.  He received his Purple Heart from his service in Vietnam.)