News photo by Josh Jambor Veterans Park in Alpena shows a Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall monument, POW-MIA markers and flags after members of the Alpena Veterans’ Council cleaned and prepared the site for the Purple Heart Day ceremony set for 11 a.m. Aug. 7.

ALPENA – Local veterans and community members will gather at 11 a.m. on Aug. 7 at Veterans Park in Alpena to mark Purple Heart Day.

There will be a ceremony that includes raising the Purple Heart flag, recognizing the city’s recent designation as a Purple Heart City, and honoring area recipients of the military’s oldest decoration.

The Alpena Veterans Council is organizing the event. This year the Marine Corps League Alpena Detachment 1327 leads the council under an annual rotation in which a different veterans organization takes charge. Jason Gillespie, junior vice commandant of Detachment 1327 and a Marine, oversees the council for 2026.

“We just became a Purple Heart City and there are a lot of Purple Heart veterans in the area that don’t get recognized,” Gillespie said. “My father, Dennis Gillespie, was one of them, so it’s kind of personal for me, especially as a Marine myself.”

The City of Alpena received its Purple Heart City designation late last year. The recognition is intended to acknowledge residents who have been wounded or killed in combat while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Organizers hope the upcoming ceremony will help bring greater visibility to those local veterans and their families.

According to Gillespie, the idea for a more formal observance began with council member and Vietnam veteran Scott Peterson.

“Scott Peterson, a member of the council and Vietnam Veteran, spearheaded this effort and got the ball rolling,” Gillespie said. “Initially, it was just going to be certificates and road signs, but I suggested we present the mayor with a certificate, a plaque, and raise the Purple Heart flag at the Veterans Memorial on Washington Ave and everyone loved the idea.”

In preparation for the ceremony, Gillespie and fellow Marine Frank Rosinski, a council member, worked with city staff to improve the park. Aggie Ferguson, adjutant of the Marine Corps League Detachment 1327, also assisted.

“Last week council member Frank Rosinski, myself, and Adjutant for the Marine Corps League Aggie Ferguson, met up with a couple city employees at the Veterans Park and took down the flagpole and painted it,” Gillespie said. “We also trimmed the hedges, cleaned the memorial and it’s all ready for the ceremony.”

Ferguson confirmed the Marine Corps League’s leadership role this year and noted that Gillespie and Rosinski handled the bulk of the coordination with the city to ready the site.

The ceremony itself is scheduled to begin when attendees gather at 11 a.m. Gillespie outlined the planned sequence of events.

“As it stands right now, when everyone gathers at 11 a.m. we are going to have the color guard march in the colors, post the colors, and then there will be a speaker,” Gillespie explained. “After the speech we will present the plaque and certificate to the mayor, then raise the flag.”

Gillespie said the event carries a broader purpose beyond the formal program.

“I hope that more people are inspired to get involved and show our local veterans the recognition they deserve,” Gillespie stated. “We would like to be able to make this an annual event, every August 7th.”

He added that everyday routines often leave little room for reflection on the cost of freedom.

“I think in the hustle bustle of our daily lives we overlook the sacrifices that were made for our freedom,” Gillespie said. “It’s good to take a breath and remember that stuff.”

Purple Heart Day is observed nationally each Aug. 7 to honor recipients of the Purple Heart medal, which is awarded to service members wounded or killed by enemy action. The medal traces its origins to the Badge of Military Merit established by Gen. George Washington in 1782. Alpena’s local observance aims to connect that national tradition to the specific stories of veterans who live in or near the community.

For Gillespie, the personal connection remains central. His father’s status as a Purple Heart recipient, combined with his own service as a Marine, has shaped his approach to the planning. He said the council’s decision to expand beyond simple certificates and road signs into a full ceremony with a plaque, certificate and flag raising grew from a desire to create something more lasting and visible.

If the event succeeds in drawing community participation, organizers hope it will become a fixed annual observance on Aug. 7. That would give Alpena a recurring opportunity to recognize Purple Heart recipients and to reinforce the city’s designation as a Purple Heart City.