HAMDEN, Conn. — After more than a year of planning, the town of Hamden has officially been decarded a Purple Heart City.
The announcement came at a ceremony in front of the Veterans Memorial at Hamden Middle School. It's a national declaration, which was halted about a year ago because of the pandemic. Mayor Lauren Garrett picked the initiative back up when she took office and made the dedication public on this Veterans Day.
The town was presented with a plaque to make it official, and a Purple Heart parking spot, which will be available for all veterans and Purple Heart recipients. It will soon be placed somewhere throughout the town.
During the ceremony, a local student sang the National Anthem, and another student played taps. Some of the students from the middle school came out to watch, and handed out "thank you" notes to the veterans who were in attendance.
"We don't ever want to forget the men and women who served our country so well And have bled on foreign land," said Major Daniel Eddinger, Connecticut Commander for Military Order of the Purple Heart. "And I can't tell you what it means to me to still be alive and walking today. And I hope you feel the same."
The town will now be featured on the Purple Heart Trail, found here.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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