TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – In front of a packed audience in Houston, Mississippi, Purple Heart recipients—both present and absent—were honored during the county’s annual Purple Heart Day ceremony. The event recognized the bravery and sacrifices of those injured while serving in the U.S. military.
Among those recognized this year was Caleb Tedder, a Marine Corps veteran injured in Iraq in October 2005. Tedder, now an investigator with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, said the honor carried deep personal significance.
“I feel like there is closure that comes with it,” Tedder said. “I had put it off for a while, but it’s something that needed to be done—good for my family, and for everyone to know there are people who have served in that capacity.”
The Purple Heart pinned on Tedder was especially meaningful—it was the very medal awarded to his grandfather, Melvin Tedder, after he was injured in France during World War II.
“Once this whole thing came about, I felt like it was a way to honor him,” Tedder said.
District 22 State Representative Jon Lancaster, a longtime friend of Tedder, stressed the importance of remembering those sacrifices. “We have to get patriotism back where it once was,” Lancaster said.
Retired Brigadier General Gary Huffman, also a Purple Heart recipient, was honored for injuries he sustained in Iraq in November 2005. He reminded the audience that the challenges for wounded veterans often continue long after they return home.
“It is not about the politics,” Huffman said. “I don’t care what your stance is on any conflict we have been in, but we as military men answered a call, followed orders, did what we were supposed to do, and got hurt for it—paid a price. Caleb and I are both patients at the Veterans Administration, dealing with the aftereffects of those wounds.”
This year marked the third annual Purple Heart Day ceremony in Chickasaw County, an event dedicated to honoring the courage, resilience, and sacrifices of America’s wounded warriors.
