PEABODY — Peabody celebrated its first Memorial Day as a Purple Heart city on Monday.
The designation honors residents who have been wounded or killed while serving in combat. Purple Hearts have been awarded to American military personnel since 1782, when it was created by George Washington, and remain the oldest US military decoration still in use.
“This is a proud moment for our city,” Mayor Ted Bettencourt said during the city’s Memorial Day ceremony outside City Hall.
“We here in Peabody, and I know those here this morning share my sentiments, we must always remember the heroism and pay tribute to their memories and never, never forget our fallen soldiers.”
The effort to make Peabody a Purple Heart city was led by Councilor at-Large Anne Manning-Martin. Two sidewalks decorated with purple and white paint were used outside City Hall Monday by crowds gathering for the city’s annual Memorial Day parade and following ceremony to honor the country’s fallen service members.
Officials also placed a Purple Heart wreath at the base of the city’s World War I and World War II memorials during the ceremony, and read the names of many residents or their family members who have received the distinction.
Among those honored was Peabody Fire Lt. and Marine Sgt. Anthony Luciano, who has earned two Purple Hearts.
Luciano served one deployment in Haiti and two deployments in Iraq. In 2005, while fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, and losing eight of his fellow soldiers, his squad was ambushed when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his Humvee and wounded his right hand and elbow.
A year later, while on foot patrol in Iraq, a hand grenade that landed behind him blew him into a wall, leaving him unconscious with a level three concussion and shrapnel in his helmet, along with his flak jacket destroyed.
“Most people who receive two Purple Hearts and a Combat Action Badge come home and try to live a quiet existence,” Peabody Veterans Agent Steve Patten said during the ceremony. “This person came home and he decided to run into fires.
“To this day, he places his life on the line to all of us.”
Luciano spent most of his speech thanking others — those who made the ceremony possible, the families of service members and those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice.
“I reluctantly agreed to speak not for myself, but because I believe it’s important to speak for those who can’t,” he said. “It’s important to reflect on what service really means, and to make sure it doesn’t fade quietly into the night.”
As part of the city’s new designation, Peabody will recognize each Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day. On that day, the city asks residents and organizations to display the American flag as well as other public expressions to honor the nation’s wounded and fallen.
The true cost of American freedom, and Memorial Day, cannot be calculated, said Robert Dunne, commander of the Peabody Veterans Council.
“It is represented by the valuable lives given to protect our freedoms,” he said. “Today, we owe the sacrifice by our fellow citizens, who stepped forward to fight for the ideals of freedom and democracy, to fight for them tomorrow.”
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com.