The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Purple Heart recipients honored
Retired Maj. Daniel Eddington, a Torrington resident, was a special guest
— The Purple Heart is a badge of honor for those to whom it is bestowed for their service to country. For city officials, it was an honor to remember those who earned it.
On an overcast Friday morning that reflected the somber occasion, a group of city officials, dignitaries, visitors and police officers gathered in front of City Hall to honor all those who have received the medal and raise a Purple Heart flag in front of City Hall. Each year, Aug. 7 is recognized as “National Purple Heart Day.”
“We are gathering here this morning to honor all those veterans that received the Purple Heart and served their country, as we should do every day of the year,” said Mayor Elinor Carbone, as she welcomed guests to the ceremony. “I’m always pleased when I pull into a parking lot and see a space that is designated for use only by a person that has received the Purple Heart.
“And I’m proud that Torrington has been designated a Purple Heart City for what we have done to honor those veterans serving their country,” she said.
The purpose of being a Purple Heart City is to honor military personnel wounded or killed in combat.
Retired Maj. Daniel Eddington, a Torrington resident and recipient of the Purple Heart, along
with several other medals including a Silver Star for his duty and valor during combat in the Vietnam War, 1967-68, was a special guest. Eddington is commander of the Connecticut Military Order of the Purple Heart. He was with The Old Guard at Fort Meyer, Va., before leaving for Vietnam in 1967. He was wounded twice in the 1968 Tet Offensive, and retired in 1992 after 26 years in the Army and Nebraska National Guard.
“This is a wonderful observance for those that have received the medal and Mayor Carbone has been very helpful in all our efforts and in making Torrington a Purple Heart City,” Eddington said.
Chartered by Congress in 1958, The Military Order of the Purple Heart is composed of military men and women who received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds suffered in combat. Although membership is restricted to the combat wounded, the Order supports all veterans and their families with myriad nationwide programs by chapters and national service officers.
The Purple Heart is a heart-shaped purple medal within a gold border, containing a profile of Gen. George Washington. Above the heart is a shield of the coat of arms of Washington — a white shield with two red bars and three red stars — between sprays of green leaves. The reverse side has a raised bronze heart with the words “For Military Merit” below the coat of arms and leaves. The medal’s ribbon is one and threeeighths inches wide, with white and purple stripes.
“It’s nice to know that the first Purple Heart Chapter was formed in Connecticut and is still in existence, and that is in Derby,” Eddington said. The forerunner of the Purple Heart, he said, was awarded to three soldiers from Connecticut who were wounded in a raid on a British force in neighboring New York State during the Revolutionary War. The medal was then known as “The Badge of Military Merit” and was in the shape of a heart.
The first Purple Heart medals as we know them came into being during World War I.
The Rev. Emmanuel Ihemedu of St. John Paul the Great Church offered a prayer for all those recipients of the Purple Heart and have served or are serving in the military. City Clerk Carol Anderson read a list of 58 Torrington residents who have been awarded the Purple Heart. A number of members of the Torrington Police Department were in attendance, along with state Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington.
After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those in attendance, the culmination of the ceremony was the raising of the Purple Heart flag by Lynn Zanderigo Florio, daughter of Torrington Purple Heart recipient Primo Zanderigo, who died several years ago. She was assisted by Public Works Director Raymond Drew.
According to his obituary, Primo Zanderigo served in the Army in World War II. Among the awards and decorations he received upon his honorable discharge in January 1946 were the Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon and Purple Heart. He owned and operated Zanderigo’s Service Station, and later Westside Package Store. He died at the age of 94.