Impact & Give Back

ABOVE

BY LIESEL SCHMIDT

AND BEYOND

Two World Wars, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, and what seems like an endless war in the Middle East. In the last century, we as a nation have endured our share of conflict. Through all that time, countless men and women have braved the unthinkable to come home battle scarred—and many others never came home. To honor those who came back bearing the physical reminders of war as well as those who returned under the shroud of the flag, the Purple Heart was instituted in 1932, 150 years after George Washington awarded the first “Merit Badges” to reward service above and beyond the call of duty. Originally given exclusively to the combat wounded of the US Army, the attack on Pearl Harbor forever changed the qualifications for receiving a Purple Heart because of the staggering number of "Killed in Action" men and women during WWII. The medal was also authorized to be given to any member of any branch—not just the Army—who met the guidelines of being KIA or injured in combat.

Consequently, the number of Purple Heart recipients has not been small over the past 90 years. There have been too many wars, too many conflicts. To meet the needs of those Purple Heart recipients, the Military Order of the Purple Heart was chartered by Congress in 1932. Comprised exclusively of combat wounded veterans and service members who received a Purple Heart, with the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart composed of female counterparts of the Purple Heart recipient who would rally and raise money and awareness for activities and support. The Ladies' Auxiliary was founded with the mission of promoting Americanism, supporting social welfare and volunteering in VA hospitals, communities, events and anywhere there was a need.

Thirty-odd years later, the Ladies' Auxiliary - Northshore Unit 741 began meeting unofficially, with its legal incorporation beginning in the 1990s. Then, in 2017, the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart was renamed to the Military Order of the Purple Heart Auxiliary in order to encourage males to join, since the number of female Purple Heart recipients demanded that the bylaws change.

“Although our name changed, the mission of volunteerism is still at the heart of our organization,” says Colleen Orfanello, Unit 741 president. “Each of our active members have a special skill or talent that they bring to the group. Some are legal or medical professionals that donate their time by hosting speaking engagements, some are crafters that share their talents such as quilting, soap making or even photography skills, some members are chefs and share their ‘famous’ Louisiana-based recipes with our national members.”

As numerous as Purple Heart recipients may be, MOPHA’s greatest challenge is keeping the organization thriving and keeping membership numbers stable. “Because membership is so exclusive, it’s hard to recruit,” explains Orfanello, who retired seven years ago from her job to focus on serving the Purple Heart on a national level—first, as national historian, then as a regional president, then in national leadership. “Because Purple Heart recipients are awarded the medal due to medical injuries, we cannot request ‘lists’ of recent recipients due to HIPAA laws, so it’s up to the recipient to seek us out. And when they do, it's like a weight off the shoulders of the recipient and their family members. Our members are diverse in every sense of the word, but we are family, nonetheless. It’s hard for someone to share intimate details about issues to anyone who has not walked in his or her shoes, and it’s especially hard for someone to share the trauma of war with someone who hasn't experienced it. We still have a few WWII era members who are active. In fact, one of our WWII members is 107 years old. But the majority of our members are from Vietnam and the Gulf War. What we are seeing is a resurgence in membership numbers of the children of the Vietnam veterans and spouses and recipients of the Gulf War. We are certainly smaller than the American Legion or VFWs out there who have a million members. All MOPH members or patriots must have received a Purple Heart, and the Auxiliary must be lineal descendants within two degrees. Basically, membership is offered to the recipient themselves, their grandparents, parents, spouses, siblings, children, and grandchildren. “We also have associate members that are non-blood relations or nieces, nephews, or in-laws,” Orfanello goes on. “In the St. Tammany area, we have less than 200 members, but our active membership has decreased since the beginning of the pandemic. Our monthly meetings that focus on a specific topic and activity decreased to only two meetings a year, but we still host monthly Zoom calls. Because one of our main goals was volunteerism and outlets for that very important aspect of our work were closed or off-limits to non-essential personnel, we learned to make crafts, write buddy-letters, and make compassionate-care calls instead. This was important work as well, but it didn't compare to the happiness that physical volunteerism does for the soul. Still, we’ve learned wonderful information such as how to cope with compassion fatigue, ways to help Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivors live a better life, how to spot cries for help, and ways to recognize simple acts of gratitude.”

As a non-profit, Unit 741 receives a small grant each year averaging $2,500 from their National Service Foundation. Those funds are used for a veteran service project such as purchasing cookies and beverages for events such as Wreaths Across America at the South East Veterans Cemetery in Slidell, meals for home-bound veterans, or “Holiday Heart Happys”—little trinkets during the holidays for veterans without families. “This year, Unit 741 partnered with Max Home and granted a WWII veteran from Covington a walk-in shower and elevated vanity,” says Orfanello. “Max Home is a huge supporter of America's combat wounded heroes, and we are proud to partner with them. Last year, we were able to help dozens of hurricane-stricken veterans from the many storms that plagued Louisiana.”

Over the past year, unit fundraising has become even more focused, as the need to offer support in a new way has emerged. “We want to give our members and their families the tools they need to reduce stress and anxiety and strengthen peer-to peer support for mental health issues like PTSD,” says Orfanello. “The result is our campaign, ‘Healing the HeART’ with an emphasis on the letters A-R-T. The 2023 National Convention will be hosted in Louisiana, with nearly 400 Purple Heart family members participating in the ‘Healing the HeART Summit.’ We need to provide tools that attendees can leave with in order to make their lives, and the lives of fellow veterans better. It's going to be an informative and necessary meeting that will help the combat wounded to focus on a holistic, artistic way of coping with the trauma of war and for family members to reconnect with their loved one and understand their experience and recognize signs of distress. These tools aren't just for the new members; it's for all war-era members from WWII to members that received their medal recently. Attendees can also take these tools and share them with fellow Purple Heart families and members back in their respective groups. Some interactive sessions such as journal writing, art and music therapy, mediation, yoga and verbal communication skills are being planned. The more money we raise, the more we can offer. Our fundraising goal is $90,000, and we plan to use every penny we raise over the next few months exclusively for the Healing the HeART summit.”

As the need for their work continues, MOPHA will continue to be there, with a heart for those who have given theirs in service.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT PURPLEHEARTAUXILIARY.ORG. Feeling healthy and happy