MAHANOY CITY - The Purple Heart military decoration is awarded to U.S. military personnel who have been wounded or killed while serving their country, and on Saturday, 283 recipients from the Mahanoy City area were recognized with that distinction.
During a special ceremony at American Legion Post 74 in Mahanoy City, the new Purple Heart Memorial was unveiled and dedicated before a filled room of veterans and their families. The memorial includes the names of those recipients who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Five Purple Heart recipients were on hand for the dedication: Francis Chesko, World War II, Army; David Hillibush, Vietnam War, Navy; Norman Cunningham, Vietnam War, Army; Ralph Zilker, Vietnam War, Army; and Roy Paisley, Vietnam War, Army.
Legion Post 74 Commander Joseph Moyle said before the program, that much research went into the project.
"We did the research on all Purple Heart veterans in Mahanoy City and Mahanoy Township," Moyle said. "The memorial is not really complete because it's so hard to get every name. I already have three individuals that I found out about who are not on the memorial."
The display is the brainchild of Tony Gutsie, a Mahanoy City resident who served in the Navy from 1968 to 1969. He got the idea from a memorial display designed by McAdoo native John Becker for the McAdoo AMVETS Post 1.
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action, according to www.purpleheart.org.
The name of each recipient is on an individual brass plaque, which also includes what military service and whether the recipient was "wounded in action" or "killed in action." The names are in alphabetical order and listed under the respective war they served in.
The precursor to the Purple Heart was the "Badge of Military Merit," which was established by Gen. George Washington in 1782 and included a heart made of purple cloth. The current Purple Heart award recognized those wounded or killed in action on or after April 5, 1917.
The program began with opening remarks by Moyle, followed by the singing of the national anthem by Nikki Todd. The Pledge of Allegiance and the opening prayer were led by Harry Roberts. The master of ceremonies was state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, a Marine Corp. veteran.
"I think this shows that when our country calls, the coal region men and women are always the first to answer," Goodman said. "And far too often, our veterans are the ones who make the sacrifice and they carry the scars of that sacrifice throughout their lives."
Gustie spoke about the creation of the memorial and noted those Purple Heart recipients in attendance.
"Thank you all for coming this evening, especially you men whose names are up here," Gutsie said. "We honor you, we are indebted to you for your courage and for your sacrifice. If it wasn't for you and for all veterans, we wouldn't be here today."
Gutsie spoke of the Purple Heart memorial dedication in McAdoo in 2010 and thought that all communities should do something similar to honor those veterans. He spoke of the help he received from Moyle in compiling the names of those veterans and making sure that the facts were verified. Becker offered to help make the memorial, even though he lives in North Carolina. It was an offer that Gutsie was glad to accept.
Just as Moyle remarked before the program, Gutsie said names can still be submitted to be added.
"If we missed anybody on the memorial, get the name to the post or to me and we'll follow up on it," Gutsie said.
After the unveiling of the memorial by Gutsie and Moyle, remarks were made by U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17, Mayor Nancy Petritsch and Legion member John Deesing.
During his speech, Holden provided the following statistics on the number of Purple Heart recipients: World War I - 320,518; World War II - 1,076,245; Korean War - 118,650; Vietnam War - 351,794; Persian Gulf War - 607; Afghanistan - 7,027; and Iraq - 35,321.
Chesko, 88, was wounded in France on July 19, 1944, though he was not sure how he was injured.
"I woke up in a field hospital and they were pulling the skin off my arms and legs because I was burned," Chesko said, who believes it was caused by an explosion of some type. "I had three brothers in the service. This tribute is very nice."