MUSKOGEE, Okla. — On Dec. 7, fourteen historically black towns in Oklahoma were declared Purple Heart towns to honor the veterans who lived there. Each town's leaders gathered at the Muskogee MLK community center for the ceremony. Organizer Donald Nichols said he did this to thank the man who saved his life in combat.
Nichols said he served in the Marines in Vietnam for two years. During the event, Nichols said he wanted to thank a man he never got to thank.
"I was shot four times; I was shot in the chest, shot in the hip. I had a chest wound which is life-threatening," said Nichols.
Nichols said it was a black man who saved him from those life-threatening injuries. He searched for 60 years to find him but wasn’t successful.
Nichols said this led him to present the purple heart symbol to each of these historically black communities. The mayors of those towns were presented with a proclamation to make it official. Nichols said it brought him a feeling of peace.
"Knowing that I couldn't say something to them to thank them for what they did. But to be able to thank this great group of people is just a great honor for me. It brings a sense of closure," said Nichols.
The 14 historically black communities honored today:
- Grayson
- Boley
- Langston
- Redbird
- Taft
- Tullahassee
- Brooksville
- Clearview
- Lima
- Rentiesville
- Tatums
- Summit
- IXL
- Vernon
2 News also spoke to Rikisha Harrison, a representative for the town of Tullahassee—one of the 14 towns that received the proclamations.
"It's just a wonderful thing to be honored with the 13 or 14 black towns in Oklahoma; it's an honor to be here," said Harrison.
Nichols said that they will visit all of the towns at a later date to present them with an official road sign and recognize individual veterans in those towns.
"Its really not about us its about these great black cities and the mayors and all the great work that they do and we're just glad we have the opportunity to honor them," said Nichols.
To see more towns listed as purple how towns, click here.
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