Chelan, Douglas Counties Honor 14 Purple Heart Recipients
Chelan and Douglas Counties recognized 14 Purple Heart recipients at a ceremony Thursday at the Wenatchee Veterans Hall.
Communities Join the Purple Heart City Network
The Purple Heart is given to soldiers who were injured or killed in the line of duty.
Before recognizing the honorees, the cities of Chelan and Waterville were honored for making proclamations establishing themselves as Purple Heart Cities.
Waterville Mayor Lloyd Smith said it's a privilege to speak at the ceremony.
"On behalf of Waterville, the community, and the residents of the entire plateau, we consider this as an honor," Smith said. "We do have Purple Heart people up on that plateau, and we're very proud of them."
Honoring 14 Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice
The 14 honorees included: Shane Delaney, Vernon Zornes, Paul Bradshaw, Lee Bradshaw, Earl Paslay, Frank Telford, Robert Paine, Albert Jaspers, David Welch, Bruce Burge, Anthony Montoya, Ronald Hoffman, Taylor Mayfield, and Delbert Betz.
Those who nominated their Purple Heart recipient received a proclamation and a medal. One veteran, Mayfield, served in the Korean War and attended the ceremony to receive his medal in person.
Veterans Share in Fellowship and Food
Master of Ceremonies Tony Sandoval, who works for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, thanked everyone in attendance.
"So many of you sitting in these chairs, so many heroes," Sandoval said. "I know a lot of you have on this day stories, you might not be recognized today for heart medals, you might know someone who is, we're celebrating all of these heroes and we want to celebrate you."
Attendees were treated to a barbecue with burgers and cake after the ceremony.