Gunter is now officially a Purple Heart City.
The city posted a proclamation Wednesday, signed by Mayor Karen Souther on Oct. 1, that designates Gunter a Purple Heart City and asks residents to honor recipients of the medal and remember service members who died for the country. City Secretary Detra Gaines attested the document.
The proclamation notes that the Purple Heart is the oldest U.S. military decoration still awarded, tracing back to the Badge of Military Merit George Washington created in 1782, and that it goes to members of the armed forces wounded or killed in combat. It states that Purple Heart recipients live in Gunter and that residents are grateful for the service of recipients and their families.
A second section of the signed document, issued in the name of the mayor and City Council, calls Gunter an official Purple Heart town and encourages residents to show "active appreciation" for veterans' sacrifices.
Signs at the city limits
The proclamation was on the agenda for the Oct. 1 City Council meeting along with a separate resolution honoring the nation's Purple Heart recipients. That resolution also authorized spending to install official Purple Heart signs at the city limits, according to the agenda, which lists City Manager Hayden Brodowsky as presenting the item.
