Needham’s annual Purple Heart Ceremony to honor local servicemen and women wounded or killed in combat will be held Friday, Aug. 7, National Purple Heart Day.
Hosted by the Manson H. Carter VFW Post 2498, the ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in Memorial Park with the raising of the Purple Heart Standard. The names of Needham Purple Heart recipients will be read aloud — more than 84 of whom are listed on the park’s Fallen Brave Memorial. The Purple Heart Standard will remain on the flagpole for three days.
The Select Board declared Needham a Purple Heart Community in 2015, formally honoring Needham residents who served in the armed forces. A proclamation from the Select Board on July 21 encouraged residents and local businesses to display the American Flag and recognize the town’s Purple Heart recipients.
Purple heart-shaped badges, initially named the “Badge of Military Merit” were first commissioned on Aug. 7, 1782, by Gen. George Washington, for soldiers who fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The Purple Heart Award is the U.S. military’s oldest decoration.
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