Cannon Among Purple Heart Recipients Selected for National Honor
Rev. Carlton Cannon has been chosen to represent the state of Delaware where past Purple Heart recipients are being honored with an all-expenses-paid trip to New York for a week of tributes to their service and sacrifice.
Cannon, a veteran of the Vietnam War, serves the Church of God as Deputational Representative for Ministry to the Military. He will join 38 other past Purple Heart recipients the week of September 18 where they will, “represent the very best of our nation, having put their lives on the line for America and the freedoms we all cherish.” Purple Heart heroes representing states across the nation have been selected for the 2023 Purple Heart Patriot Project, the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.
Selected for their courage and service, both during combat operations and in the years since returning home, this ‘Honor Flight’ style salute will bring together Purple Heart recipients from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Global War on Terror and other conflicts. The multi-day Patriot Project Mission will feature a visit to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a private tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor – the museum dedicated to paying tribute to those who earned the Purple Heart, time at historic Washington’s Headquarters where the Badge of Military Merit originated in 1782 and the 9/11 Memorial. Other special tribute events are also being planned.
This year’s Patriot Project honorees include both men and women, all branches of the service and range in age from 37 to 100. “Across generations, Purple Heart recipients have answered the nation’s call and their sacrifices have kept us free. This is our opportunity to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of a grateful nation. Especially for our Vietnam veterans, the Patriot Project offers them the homecoming they never received. These missions help recognize the sacrifices made by our Purple Heart recipients – those who came home and those who didn’t – and ensure their stories are told to future generations,” said Purple Heart recipient Richard Lay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.
“Our 2023 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees represent a true cross-section of America and the diversity of our combat wounded through the decades,” said National Purple Heart Honor Mission Executive Director Russell Vernon (Col., NYARNG – Ret). “We received numerous nominations of deserving individuals, and this group is truly representative of Purple Heart recipients who served our nation and continue to serve their communities. We are tremendously proud to recognize all that they have done, both during their service careers and in their civilian lives.”
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is operated by the New York-New Jersey Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The National Purple Heart Honor Mission is an approved 501(c)3 national charitable organization that provides a range of tribute programing to honor Purple Heart heroes and preserve their legacy.
