ONEIDA (NBC 26) — On Saturday, members of the community came out to the Oneida Veterans Memorial for the dedication of their newest Purple Heart monument.
Purple Hearts are awarded to military members wounded or killed by an enemy while serving.
The monument first broke ground two years ago and, after delays due to fundraising and COVID-19, they were finally able to have a ceremony.
George Greendeer was one of the main leaders in creating this memorial and passed away last year. He was the former Commander of the Department of Wisconsin Military Order of the Purple Heart.
His son shared what this memorial means to him and his family:
“Establishing the memorial isn’t a punctuation mark for dad or people like my father, their work is meant to be a legacy to continue to further recognize the contribution made by our combat veterans both men and women in service,” said Jon Greendeer.
His father served two tours in Vietnam, parachuting under gunfire, fighting through ambushes, and hand-to-hand combat. He was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and many other medals.
