Atoka council proclaims city a Purple Heart City; ambassador to present plaque

The Atoka City Council voted unanimously to approve a proclamation designating the city a Purple Heart City after a presentation from an Oklahoma Military Order of the Purple Heart ambassador.

Steve Berg, an ambassador for the Oklahoma Military Order of the Purple Heart, told the council the designation is a way to honor service members who were killed or wounded. “I'm an ambassador for the Oklahoma Military Order of the Purple Heart. I've never served and so I think it's a way that we can serve just by doing something for the men and women that, you know, took the uniform and died and and were wounded,” Berg said.

Berg asked the council to accept a proclamation, permit the city to place a public notice, and allow the organization to present a plaque for display in city hall. He said the Department of Corrections and local sign shops produce signs and plaques identifying municipalities as Purple Heart Cities. “We'll bring you a plaque, that you can hang in the city hall'it just shows you guys are a Purple Heart City,” Berg said.

Council members moved and seconded the proclamation and approved it on a roll-call vote with the following recorded yes votes: Mister Turner, Mister Sheryl, Miss McGee, Miss Poe and Mister Kathy.

The speaker said he would coordinate timing with city staff and suggested Veterans Day has been a common date for ceremonies, but that the presentation can be scheduled at another time. Berg also described outreach and recognition efforts, including a regional Hall of Honor, and encouraged local identification of Purple Heart recipients for inclusion on commemorative displays.

The council did not attach funding to the proclamation; Berg said the plaque and sign costs are covered by his organization and by sign vendors. City staff will coordinate scheduling for the plaque presentation and any public recognition event.