Donald Turano, a Purple Heart veteran from Meridian, and Heather Armstrong, a Purple Heart veteran from Oregon, folding the Gold Star memorial flag during the retiring of the colors at West Point, on Aug. 6
Donald Turano, a Purple Heart veteran from Meridian, and Heather Armstrong, a Purple Heart veteran from Oregon, folding the Gold Star memorial flag during the retiring of the colors at West Point, on Aug. 6
National Purple Heart Honor Mission
Donald and Maureen Turano look at old photos at their house in Meridian on July 29.
When Donald Turano returned from the Vietnam War in 1968, he was told to change out of his uniform and into civilian clothes before leaving the airport. The first lieutenant had been in Vietnam less than four months when a rocket shot into the engine of the tank he was riding in, sending him flying out of the hatch. The fall left him with a concussion, and later nurses found bone fragments in his back from the arm of the soldier sitting next to him.
When Turano returned home to his wife and 6-month-old son, he was told by his uncle the war he fought in wasn’t a real war.
“So many people in America blamed us, the soldiers,” Turano said. “Whole units never came back in tact. … But we were all very proud of what we did. We did what our country asked us to.”
When Turano received his Purple Heart, he stuck it in his dresser drawer and left it there. Years later the medal, and what it stands for, have become an important part of his identity as a veteran.
Turano, who is a Meridian resident, and 32 other veterans from across the nation visited the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor on Aug. 7. Each veteran recorded the story behind their purple heart, which will be added to the “roll of honor,” an online database archiving the tales of how U.S. veterans received their purple hearts.
The trip is the first of many by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about Purple Heart veterans and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The museum has archived stories from over 230,000 veterans, but Brian Maher, the executive director of the nonprofit, said there are nearly 2 million veterans who have received purple hearts.
“There is certainly a lot of work to do,” he said.
Recording veterans’ stories is “a natural tool of healing,” Maher said. But the stories are more than that, he said. They are a meaningful way for readers and students to learn about American history and the people who were involved. For Turano, the trip is especially important because it signifies the nation continuing to overcome its discrimination against Vietnam veterans.
JOINING THE ARMY
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After deciding college wasn’t for him, Turano enlisted in the army at 19 years old in 1965. Before leaving, he married Maureen Turano, who lived just down the street. Turano said even in the winter Vietnam was hot and humid.
“It was a beautiful, beautiful country,” he said.
After getting back Turano said he didn’t talk about his experience in the Army for a long time. Moving to Idaho in 2004 was a turning point for Turano, who can still remember a stranger thanking him for his service within a couple of days of the move.
Turano ended up joining a number of local veterans organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veteran of America and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Turano was recommended and chosen as the Idaho representative for the trip out of Idaho’s two Military Order of the Purple Heart, according to Bill Hamilton, chapter commander for Idaho Dept. and Chief Joseph Chapter 509.
“(Turano is) a great individual,” Hamilton said. “He’s going to be a great representative of the state of Idaho.”
Hamilton said the roll of honor helps the nation create “a history of our heroes.” Hamilton also served in Vietnam from July 1967 to February 1969, and said he experienced the discrimination the nation felt for Vietnam veterans during and after the war, “where our government forgot us.”
The American Legion and other military veterans services have since banned together, Hamilton said, ensuring that veterans are always welcome home.
Patty Bowen is the Meridian Press reporter. You can reach her at pbowen@idahopress.com or follow her on Twitter @pattybowenMP.
