NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.

 

"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."

 

As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.

 

During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.

 

"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."

 

Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.

 

"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."

 

The explosion had blown his weapon off the truck; he found it 300 yards down the road. He ran toward his weapon with another soldier, fully aware they could be storming into an ambush.

 

"Looking back today, I realized just how dangerous that decision was, but that moment we weren't thinking about ourselves," he said. "We were thinking about protecting our fellow soldiers and making sure we are prepared if another attack came."

 

After the explosion, he was evacuated back to the base, evaluated by the medical team, and later flown to Landstuhl, Germany.

 

"Like many soldiers, I insisted that I was fine and simply wanted to go back to my housing area to sleep it off. I didn't fully understand the extent of my injuries," he said.

 

Durocher spent weeks in Germany recovering while surgeons repaired his ruptured right eardrum. He said that during this time, he had virtually no hearing.

 

He was then flown to Fort Bragg, where he underwent facial reconstruction surgery and continued treatment on both eardrums.

 

"Months later, I received the Purple Heart. People often congratulate Purple Heart recipients, and I understand the kindness behind those words. However, receiving the Purple Heart is not something any service member hopes to earn," he said. "Unlike medals awarded for achievement, or exceptional service, the Purple Heart represents a day when a soldier shed blood in defense of our nation. It represents sacrifice, pain, recovery, and resilience. For many families, it also represents a loved one who never returned home. It is one of the few military decorations that no one seeks."

 

He added that those who receive the Purple Heart wear it with "profound humility."

 

"When I look at my Purple Heart today, I don't think about the medal itself. I think about the soldiers I served beside. I think about the medics who treated me. The leaders who cared for us and the friends who continued the mission," he said. "Most importantly, I think about those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and never had the opportunity to come home. Their courage and sacrifice are the true meaning behind this medal."

 

Receiving the Purple Heart did not end his military career, and he went on to complete four more combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He accepted new assignments and mentored younger soldiers before retiring.

 

"My wounds became part of my story, but they never defined who I was as a soldier. Instead, they reinforced the values ... that the Army had instilled in me from the very beginning," he said. "Today, I continue serving in a different uniform as the VSO for Northern Berkshire. Every day, I have the privilege of helping veterans and their families access the benefits they have earned through their service."

 

He said this position allows him to hear other veterans' stories — many that have never been told. He noted that every veteran carries experiences that have shaped their lives forever, and it is the community's responsibility to listen, remember, and ensure those sacrifices are never forgotten.

 

"Becoming a Purple Heart City tells every combat-wounded veteran who passes through North Adams that this community sees them, appreciates them, and honors their sacrifice; it tells Gold Star families that the memory of their loved ones will never fade," he said. "It reminds every young person who sees the Purple Heart City signs that freedom has always come at a cost, and that generations of Americans have willingly accepted the burdens so others could live in peace."

 

Before Durocher spoke, there was a presentation of colors, and the Rev. David Anderson of First Baptist Church provided an opening and closing prayer.

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey also spoke, noting first that organizers had hoped to hold the ceremony outside, but it was blisteringly hot by 3 p.m.

 

She said becoming a Purple Heart City was important to her administration, and she thanked Durocher for all he has done for the veteran community. She noted that, like Durocher, many veterans' service does not stop when they return home.

 

"Their service has not stopped, even though we are providing a different kind of service," she said. "... We need to recognize all of the sacrifices that you've all made for us so we can have freedom. I mean, let's face it, I'm the first female mayor in the city. I would not be able to even have gone to college if it wasn't for the sacrifices and liberties that you have all fought for, and I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart."

 

After the mayor unveiled the sign and read a proclamation, Al Varelas, commander of Chapter 875 Western Mass of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, spoke and thanked the city for becoming a member. He said to date, 200 communities in Massachusetts have become Purple Heart communities.