Kittery becomes Purple Heart town, honoring recipients of nation's oldest military award

Ian Lenahan, Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read

KITTERY, Maine — Maine’s oldest incorporated community is the newest Purple Heart town.

Members of the Kittery Town Council unanimously voted to have the town christened with the title at its Monday meeting, with all five present councilors in support of the motion.

A sign greets people entering Kittery, Maine, after crossing the Memorial Bridge from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as seen Monday, July 18, 2022.
A sign greets people entering Kittery, Maine, after crossing the Memorial Bridge from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as seen Monday, July 18, 2022.

The Purple Heart is America’s oldest military award, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Originally created as the “Badge of Military Merit” by Gen. George Washington, the award is now bestowed upon United States service members wounded or killed in combat.

Councilors approved a proclamation designating Kittery as a Purple Heart town, which read, in part: “Many from Kittery have made the ultimate sacrifice in giving their lives in the cause of freedom, and numerous combat-wounded veterans currently reside within this town and contribute to this community in countless ways.”

Nationwide there are approximately 900 Purple Heart locations and over 1.6 million recipients of the distinction.

“The purpose of being a Purple Heart Town is to express gratitude to the members of our community who were either wounded or killed in combat defending the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans, and to ensure we never forget,” according to a town statement. “Becoming a Purple Heart community means Kittery will join the Purple Heart Trail, a national series of roads, bridges, highways and other monuments and trails honoring soldiers who have received a purple heart medal.”

Two members of the Kittery Police Department, Officers Michael Webster and Danny Contois, are Purple Heart recipients, according to the department.

By joining the Purple Heart trail, Kittery will add signage throughout the town noting its Purple Heart town status. Sign installation could occur in the late spring or early summer, according to the town.

Town Manager Kendra Amaral reported that the town is scoping out multiple locations for Purple Heart town signage, including near Town Hall, on the Memorial Bridge entering Kittery, U.S. Route 1 southbound coming from York and Route 103 heading towards Fort McClary.

“I don’t know if we’ll do it at all those locations, but those are the ones we’ve surveyed,” she said Monday.

Town Council members Cyrus Clark and Cameron Hamm, who is on military leave, were not present for the vote on Monday. The remaining five councilors signed the proclamation following the vote.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kittery ME becomes Purple Heart town