Prior To Proclamation.

Proclamation (23 October 2014).

Perhaps a statement from our Chapter Adjutant, Christopher Vedvick, concerning the events of 23 October 2014, sums up the entire project most appropriately!!

"Tonight was a big night for me and for the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 572. Sierra Vista was proclaimed a Purple Heart City which was a lot of hard work but it finally came together. Many thanks to my hard working partner in crime Commander Eddie Weathers and to Whitey Reese for keeping me out of jail. And a big thank you goes out to my gorgeous and amazingly talented wife Tiffany who not only inspires me daily but keeps me grounded and focused."

Subsequent To Proclamation.

The following article appeared in The Fort Huachuca Scout.

November 7, 2014
City of Sierra Vista

Sierra Vista became the second official Purple Heart City in Arizona on Oct. 23, when City Council passed a resolution and Mayor Frederick Mueller made an official proclamation recognizing the personal sacrifice and valor Purple Heart recipients have made for our nation.

"We're pleased to be a Purple Heart City," Mueller says. "The City of Sierra Vista is home to a large population of highly decorated active military and veteran population, and we appreciate the sacrifice our Purple Heart recipients made in defending our freedom. Declaring the City of Sierra Vista a Purple Heart City is just one way that we can acknowledge their immense courage and selfless service."

The Purple Heart, designated by George Washington in 1782, was the first badge of merit that could be earned by the common soldier, and gave recipients the same privilege of an officer - a salute in respect of their sacrifice.

"The City of Sierra Vista has had a long and gracious history with the military," said James Weathers, commander of the Sierra Vista chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), as he accepted the official proclamation.

Weathers, along with Christopher Vedvick, adjutant for the Sierra Vista MOPH chapter, presented a proposal to City Council in May 2014, seeking to designate Sierra Vista as a Purple Heart City. Vedvick noted that a Purple Heart City designation is an offshoot of the Purple Heart Memorial Highway program.

With the City Council's approval to move forward, the project took off. In addition to leading the charge to designate Sierra Vista as a Purple Heart City, MOPH raised more than $4,000 to replace the sign at Purple Heart Park, which had been damaged by time and graffiti.

"Replacing the sign at Purple Heart Park was on the list of park improvements, but it wasn't slated for replacement in this fiscal year," says Victoria Yarbrough, director of Leisure and Library Services for the City of Sierra Vista. "We were trying to scrape together enough money to replace the sign in this year, and were hoping for a small contribution from the Military Order of the Purple Heart chapter," she says. "In the end, their incredible generosity allowed us to purchase a beautiful, new cast concrete sign."

Along with the designation and new park signage, the Sierra Vista Public Works Department will install two Purple Heart City placards on the signs posted just inside the city limits on Buffalo Soldier Trail and Charleston Road, welcoming travelers to Sierra Vista.

"These signs will serve as visual reminders of Sierra Vista's commitment to our active and military veterans, and honor service men and women for their sacrifice and service to our country," Yarbrough says.