'As a community, there’s support': Swansea's first Purple Heart Day honors wounded veterans

SWANSEA — It was serious. And it was fun. That’s the mix town officials and others were looking to achieve for Swansea’s first first Purple Heart Day event, on Friday evening at Swansea Memorial Park.

Nationally, Purple Heart Day is Aug. 7. Swansea leaders, especially town Veterans Service Officer Kevin Serpa and Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein, figured Friday would work best for staging this local tribute to the nation’s combat wounded military women and men.

Speakers were brief, there were food trucks and food stands, and festivities ended with a a mostly lighthearted (and a tad sloppy-sloppy) wooden bats softball game between the town’s police and firefighters. The men and women in red (firefighters) prevailed 17-8 on an evening featuring some long-awaited and much-needed rain and some mildly scary thunder.

A special ceremony kicked off Swansea's first Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.
A special ceremony kicked off Swansea's first Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.

Why Swansea held this event

Aronstein said she hopes this will be an annual event. Swansea last year voted to be a Purple Heart community and joined the national Purple Heart Trail.

“It’s an event just to be family friendly, community oriented, bring everyone together and support our veterans, our combat veterans, our Purple Heart recipients, and also raise a little awareness about the high rate of suicide,” Aronstein said shortly before the official event began. “

Both Aronstein and Serpa mentioned the frightening national statistic of 22 veteran suicide deaths per day.

Local and state officials gathered for Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.
Local and state officials gathered for Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.

Among the speakers were Leonard Montgomery and John McCaffrey from Home Base, a national non-profit operating primarily from the “philanthropic generosity” of the Red Sox Organization and Massachusetts General Hospital. On its website, Home Care, states, “As a National Center of Excellence, Home Base operates the first and largest private sector clinic in America, and the only private sector clinic in New England, devoted to providing lifesaving clinical care and support for the treatment of invisible wounds.”

Serpa, a veteran who served overseas, thinks Swansea’s Purple Heart Day event approach effectively conveys the message of the need to hear and care for veterans struggling mentally and emotionally.

“Instead of having somber, serious events, we’re just trying to have fun in the community, and engage and have people come out and show the veterans that, as a community, there’s support there for them,” Serpa said.

Swansea's police and fire departments played a friendly softball game as part of Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.
Swansea's police and fire departments played a friendly softball game as part of Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.

Throwing out the first pitch

Town resident, retired Massachusetts Army National Guard First Sergeant, and Purple Heart recipient Sean Comiskey threw out the ceremonial first ball for the softball game. On April 2, 2005, in Iraq, the Joseph Case High School graduate suffered shrapnel wounds to the head, shoulder and foot. “They hit us, usually three or four times a week, and I had a lot of close calls,” Comiskey said. “And finally it caught up to me.”

Town resident, retired Massachusetts Army National Guard First Sergeant, and Purple Heart recipient Sean Comiskey threw out the ceremonial first ball for the softball game, at Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.
Town resident, retired Massachusetts Army National Guard First Sergeant, and Purple Heart recipient Sean Comiskey threw out the ceremonial first ball for the softball game, at Purple Heart Day held Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 at Swansea Memorial Park.

Comiskey emphasized that most Purple Heart winners pay the ultimate price, and many others are left severely disabled. “Anytime we recognize veterans, or the wounded veterans especially, it’s a good thing,” Comiskey said. “It’s a good thing to pass on to the generations so they don’t forget.”

Town resident Abby Medeiros, a Case High freshman, sang the national anthem just before the game. The softball field featured a large Purple Heart emblem painted — by residents Ken Camp, Lance Machado, Matt Beane — onto the grass between home plate and the pitcher’s rubber.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Swansea ceremony, police vs. fire softball game marks Purple Heart Day