For Immediate Release s133

______NEWS RELEASE

Date: August 4, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Henry R. Perea, Supervisor 488-3663/ 287-0860 or Cruz Cuellar, MOPH Finance Officer @ 559/930-0644

Richard Rey, MOPH Commander @ 559/674-1375

SUPERVISOR HENRY R. PEREA ALONG WITH THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART FRESNO CHAPTER 106 To Unveil the Purple Heart Memorial

On Monday, August 7 @ 10:00am, Supervisor Henry Perea along with the Fresno Chapter 106 for the Military Order of the Purple Heart will unveil the Purple Heart Memorial at Courthouse Park.

The unveiling of this memorial coincides with the nationally observed Purple Heart Day that honors, combat wounded veterans and those who payed the ultimate price for our freedom giving their life in the line of duty. The fourteen valley residents who have fallen in the Iraqi war will be honored at the ceremony.

This monument has significant historical value in that the Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first American award made available to the common soldier. It was initially #MORE# 2-2-2-2-2 created as the Badge of Military Merit by our countries founding Father, General George Washington.

Our local Purple Heart recipients will be honored along with the following American service men and women who lost their lives in the current war on terror:

Lance Cpl. Anthony Butterfield -7/29/06 Clovis

Army Spc. Manuel Joaquin Holguin -7/15/06 Woodlake

Air Force Airman 1st Class Carl Jerome Ware Jr., - 7/1/06 Dinuba

Army Sgt. Regina C. Reali – 12/23/05, Fresno

Army Sgt. Adrian N. Orozco -12/9/05 Corcoran

Marine Lance Cpl. John Anthony Lucente -11/16/05 Fresno

Air Force Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson- 9/28/05 Madera Ranchos,

Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Hubbard and his best friend, Cpl. Jeremiah Bara -11/4/04, Clovis

Maine Lance Cpl. Jeremy D. Bow -10/30/04 Lemoore

Army Spc. Daniel Paul Unger – 5/25/04 Exeter

Army Sgt. Michael W. Mitchell-4/4/04 Porterville

Army Pic. Karina Lau -11/2/03 Merced County

Army 1st Lt. Osbaldo Orozco-4/25/03 Earlimart

Army Staff Sgt. Jose Carlos Rangel -1/2/05 Fresno

Capt. Joseph Lusk II, Kia -1/21/05 of Reedley High School. 3-3-3-3-3