Event honors Purple Heart recipients
By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Purple Heart recipients from Morgan and Cullman County will be honored and remembered at an annual memorial service conducted by the Cullman/Morgan County Chapter 2212 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 10 a.m. The event will take place at the Purple Heart Memorial in Sparkman Park in Hartselle.
The highlight of the service will be a roll call of honor, an alphabetical reading of the names of 105 Purple Heart recipients who either lost their lives in battle or suffered non-fatal combat wounds and died later in life. A bell is rung as each name is read. The memorial monument lists the names of more than 200 Purple Heart honorees.
Called for the first time will be the name of Army S/Sgt. Joshua Rath of Decatur. He was killed in action seven month ago while fighting with his unit in southern Afghanistan.
Reading the names of the honorees will be State Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur; State Rep. Bill Dukes, D-Decatur; State Rep. Ronald Grantland, D-Hartselle; and Hartselle Mayor Dwight Tankersley. Replicas of the Purple Heart flag will be presented to family members or close friends in attendance.
Chapter Commander John Gissell of Vinemont will open the ceremony by welcoming guests and leading in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. The National Anthem will be sung by Army National Guard S/Sgt. Donna Johnson of Cullman and Enelle Baker of Cullman will sing her original song, “Spirit of America. George Mills of Decatur, a German prisoner of war during World War II, will conduct a POW/MIA ceremony.
The guest speaker will be Brig. Gen. John Scales of Huntsville, an Alabama native and a comb at veteran of Vietnam and Afghanistan.
In the closing ceremony, Sgt. Johnson will “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” the Cullman County Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will fire a musket salute and James Shaffran, chapter finance officer will play taps.
