The State of California proclaimed itself a "Purple Heart State" in April of 2012 and was the first in the nation to do so, according to Dennis Watkins, Military Order of the Purple Heart Veteran, Garden Grove resident and two time recipient of the Purple Heart.
Editor's note: 99-year-old veteran Arnold Hansen is pictured in the middle.
The State of California proclaimed itself a "Purple Heart State" in April of 2012 and was the first in the nation to do so, according to Dennis Watkins, Military Order of the Purple Heart Veteran, Garden Grove resident and two time recipient of the Purple Heart.
Watkins worked to have his city of Garden Grove be proclaimed the first city as a Purple Heart City; Anaheim was the second and now there are nine cities named Purple Heart Cities, with others scheduled to follow.
When Stanton Mayor Rigoberto "Rigo" Ramirez received a letter from Orange County Board of Supervisor Janet Nguyen recently, asking that Stanton be declared a Purple Heart City, the City Council Council took time to do just that at the last council meeting Tuesday, March 11.
Accepting the proclamation during the Stanton meeting was 99-year-old WWII Veteran Arnold "Arny" Hanson, along with MOPH Past Cmdr. and Adjutant Jim Pinnix, accepting the proclamation on behalf of all Purple Heart recipients in Orange County.
"The Purple Heart Medal is in honor of all of the state's veterans dead or alive, who have received the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat or those who paid the ultimate price with their lives," Watkins.
The Purple Heart motto is: "Some gave all — and all gave some."
Currently, there are 25 Purple Heart Chapters in the State of California in the State of Military Order of the Purple Heart, a Congressionally chartered organization.
After the State of California became a Purple Heart State, counties and cities started having themselves declared Purple Heart counties and cities.
The 752 chapters cover all of Orange County, which includes 125 registered members, with 400 known living Purple Heart recipients currently in Orange County.
"There are Purple Heart Recipients returning from Afghanistan, which is the only combat zone that the U.S. is deployed in right now; they are processed through the O.C. Veterans Service Office in Santa Ana, where we receive our updated information," Watkins said.
The city of Stanton applauded Mr. Hanson, a retired member of the U.S. Army in WWII because of his age.
Mr. Hanson said he was sworn into the Army Sept. 2, 1942 and began active duty Sept. 14, 1942.
"I was to be in 'limited service' because I was nearly bind from birth in my left eye," said Hanson.