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By Mary Lazich
Tuesday, Aug 5 2008, 10:47 AM
Under state law, every August 7 is designated as Purple Heart Day. Wisconsin State Statutes s. 14.16 (11) says:
"The governor shall annually proclaim August 7 as Purple Heart Day and urge the people and organizations of the state to display the American flag on that day as a public expression of the recognition of those individuals who have been wounded or killed in action preserving the freedoms that all United States citizens cherish.”
Why August 7?
General George Washington liked to reward soldiers of outstanding valor with a commission or rank promotion until he was ordered to stop in 1782 by the Continental Congress for economic reasons. Washington wanted another means of bestowing a special honor upon his men and came up with it, described in his written General Order issued on August 7, 1782:
"The General, ever desirous to cherish virtuous ambition in his soldiers as well as foster and encourage every species of military merit, directs that whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings, over his left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk edged with narrow lace or binding. Not only instances of unusual gallantry but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way shall meet with due reward... The name and regiment of the persons so certified are to be enrolled in a Book of Merit which shall be kept in the orderly room...”
General Douglas MacArthur came up with the idea of reviving Washington’s medal and the War Department unveiled the new award on February 22, 1932, in honor of Washington’s Bicentennial. The oldest military honor, the Purple Heart is awarded today for being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act by any such enemy or enemy forces. President Kennedy took action to expand the award to any civilian national of the United States, and President Reagan extended eligibility to those wounded in international terrorist attacks.
Originally designed by Washington as a cloth medal, the Purple Heart today shows a heart stamped from bronze, plated with gold, hanging from a purple and white ribbon.
On May 26, 2004, two of my constituents in Senate District 28 were presented the Purple Heart by Governor Jim Doyle: Susan Sonnheim of Franklin and Troy Tuschel of Hales Corners.
Sgt. Susan K. Sonnheim was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated while she was on patrol in Baghdad Sept. 23, 2003. She was the first female soldier in the history of the Wisconsin National Guard to be awarded a Purple Heart.
Photo/Dave Haberkorn
Parade marshal Sgt. Susan Sonnheim waves to the crowd during Franklin's 2008 Fourth of July parade
Sgt. Troy J. Tuschel was wounded by an IED in Baghdad Oct. 15, 2003.
Journal/Sentinel photo taken by Tuschel family
Troy Tuschel next to a Humvee in Iraq, where he was deployed with his unit in March 2003.
The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel printed amazing stories about both of these Purple Heart recipients. Read about Sonnheim and Tuschel.
Read more about the Purple Heart here.
Remember, August 7 is Purple Heart Day in Wisconsin. God bless our Purple Heart recipients and all our brave men and women in the Armed Forces!
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By Mary Lazich
Saturday, Feb 16 2008, 07:41 AM
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The state of Wisconsin is taking a step to accommodate our state residents serving in the military.
The Legislature has approved and Governor Doyle has signed into law a bill that extends to military members in the state on leave or former residents the same privileges as current residents for the purposes of DNR hunting or fishing approval. Under previous Wisconsin law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) had to consider a person not a resident of the state and in the military and stationed in this state a resident for the purpose of issuing him or her hunting, fishing, or trapping approval. Under the fee structure for fish and game approvals, a resident pays less for the same or equivalent approval as does a nonresident.
Assembly Bill 296 that was signed into law requires the DNR consider a person currently not a resident of this state but was a resident of this state at the time he or she entered the military, a resident for the purpose of issuing him or her a hunting or fishing license.
It is a small but appropriate gesture, the least we can do for our military.
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By Mary Lazich
Thursday, Nov 1 2007, 06:19 AM
Next week, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs will hold two meetings in Waukesha to provide information on benefits and services available to veterans.
Here’s more information.
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By Mary Lazich
Wednesday, Sep 19 2007, 06:34 AM
The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is holding two meetings in November in Waukesha to provide information on the various benefits and services available to our fine Veterans. It’s called the Supermarket of Veterans Benefits, and takes place over two days at the Expo Center. Here’s more information.
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By Mary Lazich
Thursday, Jun 21 2007, 06:54 AM
I am very pleased that the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world, takes place in the Milwaukee area now through June 23, 2007 with many events scheduled in the district I represent, Senate District 28. The games feature multi-event sports for military veterans who use wheelchairs for sports competition because of spinal cord injuries, amputations, or certain neurological problems. More than 500 athletes are expected to compete. Here is a website with more information, including the schedule of events.
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By Mary Lazich
Thursday, May 17 2007, 06:56 AM
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You’ll see them out in the community, at the malls and at grocery stores: proud military veterans offering poppies for a donation. Every nine-piece poppy is painstakingly assembled by disabled and needy veterans, the bright red color symbolizing the bloodshed and sacrifices made by those who fought for our country. Proceeds are exclusively used to assist hospitalized and disabled veterans.
Dedicated veterans who make the poppies earn a small wage; for some, it’s their only income. The labor of love gives them a priceless sense of pride and accomplishment.
Poppies date back to the Belgium battlefields of World War I. Surrounded by soil damaged by death and destruction, red poppies somehow grew wild. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae of the Canadian military wrote about the flower in his 1915 poem, In Flanders Fields: “In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row that mark our place…” McCrae’s poem inspired Madame E. Guerin, founder of the American and French Children’s League to choose the poppy as the most fitting memorial flower.
Guerin persuaded veterans’ organizations in several countries to sell the poppy to benefit underprivileged children in France. By the early 1920’s, Guerin had brought her campaign to the United States, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion were distributing poppies.
Today, the little red flower’s trademark is the Buddy Poppy, so named for the poppy makers and the memories of their friends who never returned home from war. Silk flowers today are made by veterans in 11 different locations around the country, including Milwaukee. Over three quarters of a billion Buddy Poppies have been sold by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for the aid, assistance, relief, and comfort of needy or disabled veterans or members of the Armed Forces and their dependents, and the widows and orphans of deceased veterans.
The cost of making the poppies really doesn’t matter. The memorial Buddy Poppy is given by a needy veteran in exchange for a contribution. Offering the poppies helps the Veterans of Foreign Wars live up to their longtime motto, “to honor the dead by helping the living.” Please consider a generous donation when you see these wonderful veterans, and wear your poppy as a remembrance of those who served and died for our country.
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