The town of Blythewood recognized 12 Purple Heart recipients from throughout the Midlands Sunday evening. A thank you, well overdue for some veterans, came in the form of a banquet.
Veterans shared their stories of bravery, courage, and struggles as residents expressed gratitude.
"There was not a ceremony. We were out in the middle of the jungle," Theodore Jenkins, a Purple Heart Vietnam veteran, said.
He said it was years before he received any recognition in the U.S.
"When we came back from Vietnam, first of all they told us don't even wear our uniforms because people would spit on us. They were calling us 'baby killers' and a whole lot of other things. It really wasn't until the early part of the 2000s that they really even recognized us.," Jenkins said.
His experience isn't unique.
"We assumed there was some rockets coming in, and in going to the bunker, I noticed my leg was not feeling like it should," Vietnam Veteran James Miller said.
Miller was injured in Vietnam and eventually received a Purple Heart -- but he didn't even know whether he had qualified until 20 years later.
"'James, you should've got a Purple Heart.' And I said no I didn't, so he said 'we gone change that'," Miller said. "We got with the Pentagon and sent in my medical records."
The town of Blythewood started its Purple Heart ceremonies four years ago. Mayor Pro Tem Eddie Baughman says it's making up for a time when veterans couldn't be thanked.
"This is just our way of us to keep reminding ourselves, reminding our citizens, and reminding our men and women in the armed forces how much we appreciate their services," Baughman said.
He adds Blythewood also holds the ceremony as part of the town's duty as a recognized Purple Heart town.
Baughman declared Aug. 6 Purple Heart Day in the Town of Blythewood during the ceremony.