Purple Heart Day in Pahrump honors the sacrifices made in the name of U.S. military service.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon on a sizzling August evening, dozens of area residents took on the 100-plus-degree heat to attend a special event honoring all those who have been wounded and given their lives in defense of America, the Pahrump Purple Heart Day Sundown Ceremony.

Taking place Friday, August 7 at the Pahrump Veterans Memorial inside the Chief Tecopa Cemetery, the Purple Heart ceremony opened with a welcome from American Legion Post #22 Commander Melinda Mills, who was visibly pleased to see the strong turnout.

“Our nation recognizes the men and women known as Purple Heart recipients – this recognition honors and remembers U.S. military service members who were injured or killed in service to our country,” Mills explained as she opened the ceremony. “There are an estimated 1.8 million Purple Heart recipients. While some are living, working and volunteering in communities throughout the United States and the world, we have to give reverence to the families who have lost their loved ones.”

Master of Ceremonies for the event was veteran and former Nye County Commissioner Frank Carbone, who introduced the various dignitaries in attendance. American Legion Post #22 Chaplain James Mills offered an opening prayer and the Pahrump Civil Air Patrol had the duty of presenting the colors as the audience collectively recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Nye County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Greg Curtin sang the National Anthem and Ms. Senior Golden Years 2021 Marla Quercia interpreted with sign language. Carbone then turned it over to veteran and Nye County Commissioner Bruce Jabbour, who presented a series of framed proclamations to the commanders of the American Legion Post #22, Marine Corps League Detachment #1199, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter #15.

“Part of the Purple Heart criteria is to have courage, sacrifice and to have been wounded or killed by enemy action. We honor all of you today, for coming home, as well as those who were not as fortunate,” Jabbour told those assembled for the ceremony. “I am eternally grateful and honored to be able to say thank you – thank you very much.”

The first of the evening’s guest speakers is a well-known figure in town who is very active in both veterans’ activities and local charitable efforts, Lt. Col. Dr. Tom Waters.

“This is a very solemn ceremony and something that is a very important part of my heart,” Waters said. “It wasn’t an accident that Nye County and the town of Pahrump are Purple Heart entities. It was the dreamchild of the former commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Dan Peterson, myself and commissioner John Koenig. It really became a reality in 2017 when the Nye County commissioners voted 5-0 to accept this honor and now, we celebrate it annually as proud patriots of these United States of America.”

Purple Heart Day is particularly meaningful for Waters, as he earned a Purple Heart and shared his personal experience with the crowd.

“For me, it was July 15, 1967 at Da Nang Air Force Base in Vietnam and I remember each second like it was yesterday. I was an Air Force tech sergeant and I worked on fighter and bomber ejection seats in the egress shop and I had five days to go on my 12-month tour of duty before I would be returning stateside,” Waters recalled. “I was reminded by others in the egress shop that night that I should stay off the flight line during my time remaining, because of constant rocket attacks. But I wanted to acquaint my replacement with how to stay safe in the war zone. I had also bragged that I would leave Vietnam without a Purple Heart but obviously, I spoke too soon.”

While undertaking his duties, roughly 20 minutes after midnight, F4 aircraft located on the southern side of the base suddenly began to explode.

“We guessed that we would all be gone in another 10 seconds but all we got were a few mortars. The concussion of one knocked me off the top of the F4 engine while I was attempting to exit the aircraft. When I hit the concrete ramp, I sustained a cracked spine and broken foot – but no shrapnel wounds, even though I was bloody from the fall,” Waters detailed. “There was minor damage to the F4s on the north end [of the base] but nothing major, because the U.S. Marines stopped the attack. I owe my life to the U.S. Marines and I thank them every day.”

In addition to his own physical wounds, Waters holds another wound in the loss of his younger brother, Melvin, who earned the distinction of the Purple Heart at the age of just 19, when he gave his life in service during the Vietnam War.

“Purple Heart Day is a solemn reminder of the cost of defending our nation,” Waters said. “Many recipients carry scars, others bear wounds that cannot be seen. Yet all share a legacy of resilience, honor and unwavering commitment to America. As we reflect today, we honor not only the heroes who earned the Purple Heart but also the families who stood beside them. Their sacrifices, too, are woven into the fabric of our freedom.”

Following Waters’ speech, Marine Corps veteran Joe Gent conducted the ID/Dog Tag ceremony and Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill stepped in to assist Marine Corps veteran Steven Watkins with the wreath ceremony, both of which are intended to commemorate the service and sacrifice of all members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Army veteran James Eisenberg offered a reading of a poem titled “A Soldier Died Today” and a second round of proclamations were presented to the local veterans’ group leaders, this time by Nevada Assemblyman Greg Hafen II on behalf of the state.

“Pahrump is proud to stand alongside communities throughout Nevada in recognizing recipients of the Purple Heart, whose sacrifices have safeguarded the freedoms and values cherished by our nation’s citizens,” Hafen stated as he prepared to bestow the proclamations. “I would like to thank each and every one of these organizations for all that you do for our communities and how you inspire love for our country.”

Rounding out the evening’s program was second guest speaker Col. Ken Gonzales, the commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter #730, based in Henderson. He spoke briefly about his time in service, emphasizing the amount of responsibility that is shouldered by often very young people, and then shared a story of one his fellow servicemembers to highlight this.

“He’d been in the platoon for about three months, was considered ‘seasoned’ at that point in time, ran into a fire fight, got wounded and obviously earned a Purple Heart as the result of that injury. The word came down that there was going to be a presentation of the Purple Heart to him by the battalion commander but he refused it,” Gonzales explained. “We came back and asked him, ‘Why did you refuse it?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m just 17. I didn’t want my mom to find out.’”

The ceremony came to a close with a final prayer from James Mills and Stephen Hall performing the traditional military dirge, “Taps”.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com