The City of Chicago today joined a national initiative becoming a “Purple Heart City.”
Signs have been unveiled on LaSalle Street at the entrance to City Hall and at the site of Fort Dearborn, at Michigan and Wacker reading “Chicago Illinois Purple Heart City."
The include the silhouette of George Washington on a purple background inside a gold heart-shaped medal.
“The Purple Heart started in 1782 by George Washington,” said Retired Lt. Col. Eldridge Johnson Jr., during a brief ceremony outside City Hall.
“It started as the Badge of Military Merit and later, in 1932, General McArthur proclaimed it the Purple Heart, and that’s why you see the silhouette of George Washington.”
The retired colonel is a Purple Heart recipient, himself, and the first African American pilot in the Illinois National Guard.
He played a major role in making Chicago a Purple Heart City.
Mayor Brandon Johnson was present for the unveiling of the sign outside City Hall.
“It’s more than symbolic,” he said. “It’s a living promise that we will always remember and always honor the brave women and men who have sacrificed so much for freedom.”