ST. MARYS — The City of St. Marys found a way to honor its bravest veterans Monday by becoming a Purple Heart City.
Council passed a resolution in front of a crowd of about a dozen Purple Heart recipients and many other veterans and well-wishers. Mayor Pat McGowan briefly commented on the resolution, officially making the proclamation and designating Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day throughout the city.
“As a kid, I remember just about everyone’s dad was a veteran,” McGowan said, recalling his own father’s time in the military. “Your baseball coach, just about everybody. You didn’t really think that much about it. It is like a fine wine, the older you get, the more you start to recognize and respect it.”
Joe Diamond, a World War II veteran who received the Purple Heart, and councilman John Bubp were responsible for getting the ball rolling on the project. Diamond told his story that led to earning the Purple Heart with vivid memory, as a navigator in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
“I was the navigator, so it was my job to tell everyone to put their oxygen mask when we reached 10,000 feet,” Diamond said. “We were flying a mission, and we were hit. They later counted more than 100 shell holes. I had passed out without my oxygen mask. Someone came to the nose of the plane. We were always taught in First Aid training that the first thing you do is put their mask on.”
Diamond was later revived, saying about 15 minutes passed until he came to. He recalled that while he was out, he pictured himself running through a dark tunnel towards a warm light due to the cold at 27,000 feet.
“I never made it to the end,” Diamond said. “I came to before I got to the light.”
Bubp said Diamond came to him with the proposal, and he thought it was a great idea.
“Joe is a good friend who lives in the ward I represent,” Bubp said. “We have heard a lot of his war stories. I thought it was a great idea, and we had many meetings together. Joe did a lot of the work.”
The city received an added surprise when Jack Hageman of the Chained Eagles presented a custom-made Purple Heart City flag to hang in council chambers. The flag was hand-made by third-generation flag maker Julie Martin Holle, of New Haven, Ind.
Diamond said the designation is not only for people who had earned the Purple Heart, but all veterans.
“It brings awareness to the veterans in our community,” Diamond said. “If nothing else, a pat on the back. A lot of Vietnam veterans were spit on and cursed when they came back. If we ignore them, then you fit in to that same category.”
Will Thompson, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart 1612, Lima Chapter, agreed.
“This is really important because we remember our veterans,” Thompson said. “We need to take care of all our veterans.”
Signs displaying the Purple Heart City designation will be placed at five entryways into the city.
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