On National Purple Heart Day, learn about the Wilmington group helping these vets
National Purple Heart Day is observed this year on Sunday, Aug. 7.
The Purple Heart medal is presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the military.
In honor of Purple Heart Day, the StarNews spoke with Eddie Abbey, Wilmington Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, who is the Adjutant for the Military Order of the Purple Heart Region IV Department of North Carolina Chapter 636.
More: Wilmington veteran gets national honor, tells his Purple Heart story of 'beautiful ambush'
The chapter is comprised of 84 members. Currently 73 of them reside in North Carolina, with the remaining 11 residing in other states and countries.
The ages of chapter members are as varied as their backgrounds.
The youngest, at 24 years old, is an associate member while the chapter's most senior member is a 97-year-old World War II veteran who lives in Southport.
The chapter has three associate members. Associates are members without a vote but can participate in the business of the chapter and may even hold most elected or appointed offices. While they themselves did not serve, they had to have been a parent, spouse, sibling, child or direct descendent of a Purple Heart recipient.
More: This 88-year-old Leland Korean War veteran is fighting to get back his veteran status, Purple Heart
By service branch, 38 are Marines, 37 served in the Army and six the Navy. Alongside the one World War II veteran, four others served during Korean War.
Fifty servicemen received their medal in Vietnam, while another 26 were wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The chapter also has representation at the national, regional, and department (state).
“One unique factor that shows in our longevity achievements is our life memberships,” Abbey said. "What I mean by that is while we have new members that have only joined this year, we have members that joined over 30 years ago."
More: Brunswick County veteran, hospice patient honored with pinning ceremony
The chapter activities have been severely impacted by the COVIID-19 pandemic. More than half of the membership is over 70 with health issues typical for their age.
The chapter is looking forward to returning to more active participation in veterans' programs across the county, such as Veterans Stand Down (recognizing outstanding leaders in the local Junior ROTC programs).
Some facts, according to uso.org, about Purple Heart recipients:
Some celebrities that received Purple Hearts include Oliver Stone, Kurt Vonnegut, Pat Tillman and Charles Bronson.
Sgt. Stubby (a dog) and Sgt. Reckless (a horse) also earned Purple Hearts.
Curry Haynes, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War, earned 10 Purple Hearts during his military career.
Contact Cheryl Whitaker at cheryl.whitaker@starnewsonline.com or 910-343-2004.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: On Purple Heart Day, learn about the Wilmington group helping these vets
