IN HONOR–Major General Gavin A. Lawrence is pictured presenting a Purple Heart recognition certificate to Lynette Ellner after giving her a hug. Her son, Mark Anthony (Tony) Ellner, of Prairie du Rocher, served in the Army and was killed during the Gulf War. Ellner was one of 27 local Purple Heart recipients recognized during a special Purple Heart ceremony held in Prairie du Rocher on Aug. 6. For more pictures from the ceremony, please see this week’s print edition.
“Why are we here?” Duke Hinrichs, the sergeant at arms for the Prairie du Rocher American Legion, asked the crowd that had packed into the Legion hall on Sunday, Aug. 6.
He then noted that two years ago, he had observed that other local communities had been declared as Purple Heart Cities, and wondered why the Village of Prairie du Rocher wasn’t one. So he brought it up at a Legion meeting, and then started looking into the process.
For more from the Purple Heart Ceremony, please see this week’s print edition.