Purple Heart Trail marker to be unveiled

Marion County’s new Purple Heart Trail marker will be unveiled in a ceremony at 10 a.m. Aug. 7 at the county lake war memorial, 41 Lakeshore Dr.

The county has been designated a Purple Heart County on a national network of markers on roads and bridges, and at schools and parks that recognize men and women who have received the Purple Heart medal for wounds sustained in combat.

The medal is the nation’s oldest military decoration in continuous use, originally established by George Washington in 1782. The trail was established by the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

County commissioners voted April 6 to submit the county for national recognition and install at least one Purple Heart Trail sign on a county road. They are coordinating with veterans groups to be on hand for the unveiling of the sign at the lake.

Three other Purple Heart trail signs will be located on 190th, Indigo, and Sunflower Rds.