Connecticut’s selection for the nation’s 2023 Purple Heart Patriot Project is from right here in Newtown. US Army Sergeant Michael Perron will represent his fellow Purple Heart heroes at a multi-day tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded, September 18-22.

The Purple Heart Patriot Project is a program of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.

The all-expenses-paid trip features visits to the US Military Academy at West Point, historic Washington’s Headquarters, a special tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, and other unique tributes.

“I am looking forward to it,” Perron said. “I think it will be a great experience. I feel that it is important for all the generations of veterans to share in an experience like this — especially the veterans from the Vietnam era. Many of them did not get the homecomings that they should have.”

The selections were made based on a combination of factors, including service time and what these veterans have done with their lives since returning home from their service. Perron enlisted into the Army in 2002 and served for more than four years as a member of the 10th Mountain Division and the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, Scout Platoon.

While serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, he received shrapnel wounds when a suicide bomber struck his platoon. Perron describes this as the “worst Halloween ever.”

Along with his Purple Heart, Perron was awarded numerous medals and commendations during his service, including the National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and more.

“I am very proud to serve our country — 9/11 happened my senior year of college and being from so close to NYC it hit home pretty hard. I felt that I needed to do something to defend our freedom and way of life here in the United States,” Perron said.

“I think my time in the Army was pretty much what I was expecting. I had a good friend who joined before me so I had feedback from him on what to expect. I also read some books but since the war in Afghanistan was pretty new that experience was a real eye-opener,” he added.

Still Serving Veterans

Perron has continued to stay involved with veterans.

“Since coming back, he has continued to serve veterans and taken on leadership roles,” said Colonel Russ Vernon, the executive director for the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. Perron is state commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and continues to assist veterans in different ways.

“Every veteran has different circumstances or issues,” Vernon said. “He’s always here to support his fellow veterans.”

“It is a good group of veterans, although it has been hard to get veterans of my generation to join. I think a lot of them are just too busy with work and raising their families to have the free time,” Perron said.

Vernon graduated from the US Military Academy West Point in 1980 and served 24 years. He has been involved with the Purple Heart Honor Mission for two decades, almost as long as it has been around, despite not being a purple heart recipient.

“I always felt it was my duty to pay that back and do anything I can to honor these guys,” Vernon said. “These are just great Americans carrying their scars with them every day from their time on the battle field.”

Vernon said there were thousands of nominations for veterans representing every state.

“It’s just incredible the quality of people we get. Unfortunately we can’t select them all,” he added. Vernon said that veterans such as Perron are to be commended.

“They had a sense of patriotism to the country and at that point when they saw those towers come down they felt the need to serve. I think in the darkest hours, people stand up and serve and protect the freedoms we have on a day-to-day basis,” Vernon added.

Another thing that makes Perron unique, Vernon said, is that he had already graduated from Clemson at the time he enrolled. Rather than move into a career he made serving his country his first priority.

“He felt a need to go serve our country in the aftermath of those towers going down,” Vernon said.

“Michael and his fellow Patriot Project honorees represent the best of the best our country has to offer,” said Richie Lay, a Purple Heart recipient and chairman of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. “America’s Purple Heart veterans have given so much to defend freedom and that sacrifice must always be remembered. These brave men and women are true American heroes. We are privileged to be able to provide this unique salute to service for our Purple Heart heroes.”

‘Enormous Sacrifices’

“Our Purple Heart recipients have made enormous sacrifices for America, and this is our opportunity to say thank you on behalf of a grateful nation. For some, this will be like the homecoming they never had. We look forward to honoring Michael for his courage and service, both during combat operations and in the years since returning home,” Vernon added.

This year’s Patriot Project honorees include men and women Purple Heart recipients from World War II, the Vietnam War, Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and other conflicts, representing all branches of the service and ranging from 37 to 100 years old.

Asked what he would want others to know about his service, Perron said: “I was proud to bring the fight to the enemy after the attacks on 9/11. It is hard to match the sense of brotherhood the Army Infantry provides. Loving this country is totally separate from all the different political views.”

A software consultant, Perron enjoys alpine skiing — he competes in the Connecticut Industrial Ski Council at Mount Southington — motorcycle riding and working on cars and trucks. He was raised in Ridgefield and attended Clemson University after high school.

After the Army he returned home and worked at Sikorsky Aircraft for a couple years.

“That is how I ended up in Newtown. It was a good location sort of in between work and my family and friends in the Danbury area. I have been here since 2009,” said Perron, who has a dog named Tig. He left Sikorsky in 2015 to work for a software company called EcoSys and has been there ever since.

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located just north of West Point, New York, near the site where General George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in 1782 during the Revolutionary War. The Badge, a purple cloth cut in the shape of a heart, was the forerunner of today’s Purple Heart medal.

In addition to creation of the museum, the National Purple Heart Honor Mission was instrumental in the creation of the Purple Heart Forever stamp now issued by the US Postal Service, and the organization was the driving force behind the nation’s first official Purple Heart Commemorative Coin series, which was issued by the United States Mint in 2022.

The nonprofit National Purple Heart Honor Mission supports a variety of programs to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, pay tribute to Purple Heart recipients, and educate Americans about our combat-wounded veterans to ensure those who sacrificed for freedom are never forgotten.

Learn more by visiting PurpleHeartMission.org.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.