Saturday, August 7 was National Purple Heart Day, and it was celebrated locally by the dedication of the RI Purple Heart Trail.
Activities kick off with a morning motorcycle ride from Warwick to Westerly. MOFW members Dave Russell and Bert Guarnieri participated in the ride, blessed by MOFW Chaplain and Purple Heart recipient Father Phil Salois.
Following the ride, Governor McKee presided over a formal Dedication Ceremony at the Elks Lodge in Westerly. He was ably assisted by State Veterans Affairs Director Kasim Yarn, who is also the immediate past commander of RI MOFW.
Commander Frank Lennon, Brig Gen Jim D’Agostino and MOFW volunteer Bill Sheridan joined the group in Westerly and helped man the table shown in the photos.
Organizers, led by Joe “Tiger” Patrick, Senior Vice Commander of the RI VFW, recognized all Purple Heart recipients with a specially numbered challenge coin.