Pittsburgh leads national Light To Unite for Purple Heart’s 240th anniversary

As the sun set on Veterans Day, the land of the red, white and blue turned purple.

Starting in Pittsburgh at the Koppers Building and followed by New York’s One World Trade Center, reddish-blue illumination glowed across the United States for Light To Unite, an initiative to honor the 240th anniversary of the Purple Heart, the military’s oldest service award.

“When was the last time that we saw our country come together for something good and righteous?” Army veteran James McCormick said, citing the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as perhaps the latest example.

“But we’re together now. Maybe not every town, maybe not every community, is lighting the purple light. But every community, every state, knows about it.”

McCormick, who lives in West Virginia, joined Pittsburgh’s Light To Unite ceremony a few hours after serving as honorary grand marshal in the city’s Veterans Day parade.

“I cannot say enough about how important it is that I had the opportunity to have served. Not that it felt like an obligation, but it was an opportunity,” he told those in attendance at the Koppers Building. “And for me, that opportunity brought me great things. It also brought some heartache and hardship.”

While serving his country, McCormick sustained injuries that resulted in his receiving three Purple Hearts, the same number of Bronze Stars he was awarded for heroic achievement. In 2021, he served as national commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, which works toward the mutual interest of all who have received the decoration.

Partnering with his group to organize Light To Unite was the National Flag Foundation, which was formed to honor and respect the pre-eminent U.S. symbol. Because the foundation’s headquarters is in the Koppers Building, the site was selected as the first to be lit purple.

Veterans in District 10 of the Marine Corps League, Department of Pennsylvania, performed color guard duties for the ceremony, a scene repeated from coast to coast as coordinated by Tarentum resident Andy Burch, who serves as chaplain of the league’s Allegheny Valley Detachment 827 in Springdale.

“Andy singlehandedly did that,” National Flag Foundation chairman Romel Nicholas said. “He assembled the Marine Corps League today, and he has initiated and brought to fruition all of those events across the country.”

Burch and Nicholas, a Mt. Lebanon resident, were among the recipients of medals inscribed with “Merit,” named for the Purple Heart’s original designation and presented by McCormick on behalf of his organization.

Also honored were Alicia MunzPhelps, National Flag Foundation administrator, and two members of the foundation’s board of directors who are veterans of both the military and the Pittsburgh Steelers:

• Rocky Bleier of Mt. Lebanon, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient who was wounded by a bullet and grenade shrapnel during his Army service in Vietnam. Although informed he would be unable to resume his football career because of his injuries, Bleier helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls.

• John Banaszak of Peters Township, who served in the United States Marine Corps on active duty from 1969 to 1971 and in a reserve status from 1971 to 1975. A three-time Super Bowl champion, he was inducted into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

“For me to be able to honor these patriots with the highest honor that I can bestow is an absolutely amazing day for me,” McCormick said. “Why is that? Because they earned it. Everything that they’ve done demonstrates character, leadership, integrity, discipline, courage, all of the things that we expect and we look for in people who are leaders in this community.”

George Washington first presented the Badge of Military Merit in 1782, and it was renamed as the Purple Heart by Douglas MacArthur 150 years later. The award recognizes service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the military.

Although nearly 2 million Americans have received or are eligible for the Purple Heart, a publicly available master database is lacking. Two Republicans from Pennsylvania, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler and Sen. Pat Toomey, are among the members of Congress who introduced bipartisan legislation in their respective chambers to address the situation.

The Honoring Purple Heart Recipients Act would require the Department of Defense to include their names on its publicly accessible website that lists individuals who are recipients of certain military awards.

Supporters urge members of the public to contact their federal elected officials to express support for the legislation.