Here’s how you can mark Purple Heart Day alongside Pahrump veterans community members.

Friday, August 7 is National Purple Heart Day and residents will have the opportunity to stand alongside the veterans of their community in observation of this somber holiday during the Purple Heart Day Sundown Ceremony.

Built around local remembrance, this community event brings together military families and neighbors for a meaningful day of connection and reflection on the sacrifices that the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces have made, and continue to make, in the defense of freedom.

Established in 1782 by then-general George Washington as the Badge of Military Merit, this medal is the oldest military award in the country.

“The award known as the Purple Heart has a history that reaches back to the waning days of the American Revolution,” information from ThePurpleHeart.com details. “The Continental Congress had forbidden General George Washington from granting commissions and promotions in rank to recognize merit. Yet Washington wanted to honor merit, particularly among the enlisted soldiers. On August 7, 1782, his general orders established the Badge of Military Merit.”

However, only three service members were awarded the Badge of Military Merit before the American Revolution came to a close and the medal ultimately fell into disuse for over a century. It was revived in 1932 as the Purple Heart, in honor of the bicentennial of Washington’s birth.

“Originally the Purple Heart was awarded for merit. Being wounded was considered to be one type of merit. With the creation of the Legion of Merit in 1942, the award of the Purple Heart for merit became unnecessary and was therefore discontinued,” ThePurpleHeart.com states. “Currently, the Purple Heart, per regulation, is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917 has been wounded, killed, or has died after being wounded by enemy action.”

National Purple Heart Day was formally established in 2014 and Pahrump first started observing Purple Heart Day in 2017, when proclamations officially marking the day locally were issued. Just two months later and with the help of the Henderson chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, both Nye County and Pahrump became Purple Heart entities. In fact, the county was the first Purple Heart County and Pahrump the first Purple Heart Town in the entire state of Nevada, and the designation has continued to ring true via annual ceremonies every year since.

The event is regularly the result of various area veterans’ groups collaborating in an effort to keep the tradition alive - even through the pandemic in 2020 - and event organizers are now ready for what will be the 10th annual Purple Heart Day Sundown Ceremony.

The ceremony will take place next Friday, August 7 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Pahrump Veterans Memorial, inside the Chief Tecopa Cemetery, 751 East Street.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com