Comanche County’s Board of Commissioners likes the idea of honoring those wounded or killed during military service to the nation.
Commissioners accepted a proclamation Monday designating Comanche County as a Purple Heart County, after voting last week to participate in the program. That designation means the sponsoring entity (in this instance, Comanche County) is honoring the service of men and women in uniform, killed or wounded as the result of enemy action. Eastern District Commissioner John O’Brien said Bruce Dwyer, adjunct for the Mount Scott Chapter 602 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, suggested the designation, and all three commissioners have said they would be proud to accept it.
Dwyer was present Monday with Mount Scott Chapter 602 Commander Richard Zeipelt and Chaplain Dan Eppler to award a framed proclamation to commissioners, then accept a proclamation in turn from commissioners.
Commissioners decided last week that they would hang the framed proclamation within the Comanche County Courthouse, and also approved proclamation signs that will be erected on major highways into the county: The north and south end of Interstate 44, Oklahoma 7, Oklahoma 36 and U.S. 62. Commissioners said they would set a time in coming weeks to place the signs along the county’s primary access points.
“I think it’s a great idea,” O’Brien said, of what he deemed recognition to military personnel.
O’Brien, who brought the issue to the board, also said his legal research has indicated commissioners can take the step to recognize this specific entity and its work without opening the door to everyone who wants similar recognition from the county.
Comanche County’s designation is among several that the Mount Scott Chapter has coordinated among local entities and businesses in recent months.
Earlier this month, the chapter coordinated a ceremony that provided signs for Veterans Solutions 4 Life, NextHome Tri-Covenant Realty, Next Step, CASA of Southwest Oklahoma and Oklahoma Veterans Resources Center to recognize them as Purple Heart entities. On Veterans Day, Cameron University became only the second university in Oklahoma designated as a Purple Heart University, while in October, Southwestern Medical Center was recognized as an official Purple Heart Hospital.
The Purple Heart is a military decoration awarded to those wounded or killed in action while serving with the U.S. military. It has its founding in the Badge of Military Merit created by Gen. George Washington in 1782, said Dwyer. More information is available at the Military Order of the Purple Heart, purpleheart.org.
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