“Poor is the nation that has no heroes, but poorer still is the nation that, having heroes, fails to remember and honor them.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC) County Clerk Deena Farrow read the words of the Roman statesman, scholar and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero as the McIntosh County Commissioners prepared to honor military veterans by becoming a Purple Heart County.
McIntosh County on Tues- day, Dec. 17, became the third county in Oklahoma to receive the designation, joining Comanche and Logan.
More than 185 cities in the state are designated a Purple Heart City.
Eufaula joined the ranks in November 2020.
Nine colleges and universities also have received the honor.
The state Purple Heart organization also recognizes the Historical Black Towns of Oklahoma as Purple Heart Cities.
More than a dozen veterans and supporters attended the 2 p.m. ceremony held at the courthouse in the commissioners’ meeting room.
Farrow said that she was presented with the idea of the county be-coming a Purple Heart County, “I jumped on the idea and requested the Commissioners to sign a Proclamation for McIntosh County to become a Purple Heart County and they quickly agreed! Today (Dec. 17) I was honored to get to celebrate with a few of our local heroes! I will forever be grateful for their service and my freedom that they fought for! Thank you never seems like enough.”
Out-going District 2 County Commissioner Monty Grider said commissioners were ordering signs highlighting the designation to be placed on all highways leading into Eufaula.
Presenting the plaque to the Commissioners at the special meeting, which was attended by a dozen veterans and others, was Steve Byrd, husband of State Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd.
The plaque will be on display in the commissioners’ meeting room.
“Ronald Reagan said freedom is one generation away from extinction,” Byrd said in praising veterans, especially those who gave their life for their country to protect that freedom.
He said, “Kids today don’t have to look to movie stars and rock stars for heroes, these (veterans) are our heroes.”
Byrd, 61, noted that he is not a veteran.
“I never served. I didn’t have to, because of you guys. I thank you for my life, my freedom and my country.”
He said he can’t imagine what he would have done in combat.
“Probably just crawl up in a hole and cry. But these (fallen soldiers) did it without complaining so we could do what we do,” Byrd said.
This designation recognizes the community’s commitment to honoring and supporting Purple Heart recipients.
To earn this designation, a municipality must have a living or deceased Purple Heart recipient, issue an official proclamation and recognize National Purple Heart Day.
The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington – then the commander- in-chief of the Continental Army – by order from his Newburgh, New York, headquarters on 7 August 1782.
