‘Heart’ gets new chapter

In the quite of Memorial Grove on Tuesday afternoon, 47 men and women raised their hand and took a pledge.
On their left breast sat a purple ribbon, attached to it a heart. It’s a symbol that dates back to Gen. George Washington and an honor every soldier hopes they will never receive.
The pledge these men and women took was one  of service to the “Heart of Missouri”, the newest Military Order of the Purple Heart organization, and their brethren.
“(The) Military Order of the Purple Heart is an organization of veterans of United States military service who have served in combat and who have suffered wounds for their country,” Jim Young, Department of Missouri Chief of Staff, said at the ceremony.
Holding up the award, Young said, “We understand that it was the fortunes of war that asked us to sacrifice more than some others.” 
 For that reason, the Military Order of the Purple Heart exists “for the protection and mutual interest of all who have received the award.” Its programs benefit veterans and their families.
“The first thing I say when I swear members in  is ‘Welcome to the order. I’m sorry your eligible,’” Young said.
Mostly, the “Heart of Missouri” was created to serve Fort Leonard Wood and help the soldiers prepare for and recoup from the wounds of war.
“We’re here to serve our country in the best way that we can,” Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Wells said in his address to the crowd.
Wells, the “Heart of Missouri” commander, said one of the reasons the organization— the first ever in the Fort Leonard Wood area— took so long to pull together was because those interested have been disjointed.
“I think it was because  we were so daggone busy,” Wells said, speaking of the war effort. “I think we’ve always had the people here, but haven’t had the time to take a breath and get the thing started.” 
Prior Military Police John West and Master Sgt. Willie Bowman finally found the “breath”. To form a chapter, only 12 people who have received the Purple Heart are needed. The response so far has been great, with 47 Purple Heart recipients  going through the application process to join the organization.
Online registration is doing so well, Young noted, that the number of members is expected to reach 100 in the next 30 days.
Sgt. First Class Charles Liversedge is one of the founding members of the charter. It was an easy decision, he shared, for him to get involved with the organization.
“When I came back from down range and was injured, there wasn’t a lot of people to talk to,” he said, noting that part of what the organization does is help those wounded soldiers through their recovery.
For Liversedge, that recovery lasted more than a year. His wound— a shattered elbow— the result of a bomb blowing up beneath the vehicle he was in while in northwest Baghdad.
“I didn’t realize I was actually injured until I went to pick up my gunner,” Liversedge said, explaining that the gunner in the vehicle with him was covered in materials including battery acid after the attack.
Though injured himself, Liversedge refused to get on a plane and stayed on the ground two and a half more hours.
It helps, he said, to share the experience.
“As a soldier, it’s tough to accept that you’re not invincible,” he said.
“They don’t want to be that guy,” he continued, speaking of the stigma that can be attached to soldiers seeking help. “I am one of those guys.” 
For more information about “The Heart of Missouri” or if one is a Purple Heart recipient and wants to join the new chapter, contact Willie Bowman at 573-563-7198 or e-mail willie.bowman@us.army.mil.