GALLERY: See photos from Pahrump’s Purple Heart Day

Military service often comes with sacrifice and National Purple Heart Day is intended to honor those who have suffered wounds or made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives in defense of America.

In the Purple Heart Town of Pahrump, this holiday offers the chance to gather in reflection of the courage and bravery of the members of the U.S. Armed Forces, without which the freedoms enjoyed today would not be possible. To commemorate the occasion, four local veterans’ organizations came together to hold this year’s Purple Heart Day Ceremony, an event that saw a sizable crowd of both veterans and civilian supporters alike.

Welcoming the crowd on the evening of Wednesday, August 7 was American Legion Post #22 Commander Melinda Mills, who gave a short overview of the history behind the Purple Heart.

“On this day in 1782, George Washington established the Badge of Military Merit for those forerunners of the Purple Heart. This award we know today was created in 1932, on the bicentennial of Washington’s birthday,” Mills detailed. “According to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honors… an estimated roughly 1.8 million Purple Hearts have been awarded. But records are far from complete due to fires and other mishaps. There is no single, comprehensive record. Even inclusion in the Hall (of Honors) is based on information received from recipients and their loved ones. Others, we may never know.”

Taking on the role of master of ceremonies for the event was Nye County Commissioner Frank Carbone, an Air Force veteran, who introduced a variety of attending dignitaries before turning the microphone over to American Legion Post #22 Chaplain James Mills for the opening prayer. The Nye County Sheriff’s Office then presented the colors for the Pledge of Allegiance and performance of the national anthem, sung by sheriff’s officer Greg Curtin and translated into sign language by Ms. Senior Golden Years 2021 Queen Marla Quercia.

Next up to the podium was Nye County Commissioner Bruce Jabbour, a veteran of the U.S. Army. He was tasked with presenting proclamations from both the town of Pahrump and Nye County, which is also a Purple Heart entity, officially recognizing the holiday. Another round of proclamations was also handed out on behalf of the state of Nevada by Assemblyman Greg Hafen II, with the commanders of each of the four participating organizations - the American Legion Post #22, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054, Disabled American Veterans Chapter #15 and Marine Corps League Detachment #1199 - receiving their own copies.

The event incorporated the traditional ID/Dog Tag Ceremony, conducted by retired Marine Corps Major Tim Callahan and the wreath ceremony, handled by Chaplain James Mills and Steven Watkins of the U.S. Marine Corps. There was also a special reading of the poem “Just a Common Soldier”, otherwise known as “A Soldier Died Today”, as well as comments from guest speaker Fred Wagar.

“The Purple Heart, as mentioned before, is the most prestigious, recognizable military medal and pays tribute to the sacrifices of our military service members,” Wagar, director of the Nevada Disabled American Veterans Service Commission, remarked. “Today we pay tribute to the men and women who were wounded in combat in service of our country. It is the least we can do, to pay respect to those of you who have received the Purple Heart in defense of our nation.”

The background behind the Purple Heart is one that many are now familiar with, so as he worked on his speech, Wagar focused on finding some tidbits of information that have not yet been shared at a local Purple Heart Day Ceremony. That was when he landed on the question of, who was the youngest person to ever receive a Purple Heart.

“Let me tell you about Calvin Leon Graham,” Wagar said. “In 1942, his father had died and his mother had remarried, so he enlisted in the Navy. Three months later, on November 14, 1942 during the naval battle at Guadalcanal, Graham was wounded when hit by shrapnel. He continued to help in the rescue duties by aiding and pulling those wounded, aboard ship to safety. And he received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.”

Only a few months later, Graham went AWOL to attend his grandmother’s funeral, leading to the revelation of his true age and his subsequent discharge from the Navy as well as the revocation of his Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Decades later, in 1978, Graham petitioned Congress to have his discharge upgraded to “honorable”, which was granted by President Jimmy Carter. Ten years following this, his story came to public attention, leading to President Ronald Reagan granting Graham full disability benefits and back pay for his service. Then in 1994, President Bill Clinton’s secretary of the Navy presented Graham’s widow with his Purple Heart, two years after Graham’s death.

“Three presidents were involved in getting him, not only his medals but his benefits and discharge upgrade,” Wagar continued. “Now for the rest of the story. Calvin Graham was born in 1930. That means in 1942, he left home and enlisted in the Navy at the ripe old age of 12 years old. Isn’t that amazing?”

The ceremony concluded with a closing prayer and the playing of “Taps” with bugler Stephen Hall.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com