AZ State Veteran Home honors five residents on National Purple Heart Day

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Arizona State Veteran Home in Yuma recognized five residents in honor of National Purple Heart Day.

In honor of National Purple Heart Day, the facility recognized them for their sacrifices.

Charles Lodge, an Army Veteran, shared what the medal represents for him.

He says, "You got to receive a wound…or draw blood the on a part of your body…and then they put your name in on a list for a purple heart."

When asked what it meant for him to have a Purple Heart, Lodge says "I never really thought anything about it… I figured, hey, there are guys that are hurt a lot worse than me."

He adds that there are some recipients of the award who have paid the ultimate price.

Navy Veteran William Clay shared how he received his badge of honor saying, "I went to bed one night…laying there in bed sound asleep, curled up kind of like this with my pillow…and we got hit that night…Boom! Boom! Boom! I woke up and tried to shake the cobwebs out of my head…I said, 'Oh, god! My leg, my leg.'"

Soldiers can receive multiple Purple Heart medals, but William Clay says good with just one.

"I said I just got out of that mess I don't want to go back there, so I delisted out because I wasn't about to go back to Vietnam, I have done got my Purple Heart, don't need to get another one," says Clay.

The Veteran Home says it's working with local Veteran organizations for a permanent display in honor of Purple Heart recipients.

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