The city and county of DeKalb were recently recognized for their efforts in honoring military personnel wounded or killed in action, according to a news release.

A pair of proclamations issued recently were among the criteria needed in order to qualify as a Purple Heart City or County.

They also have to have Purple Heart recipients among their residents, establish roads or signs honoring recipients, and offer symbolic or practical benefits, according to a release.

“When local veteran patriot Michael Embrey approached the County about supporting a proposal of honoring Purple Heart veterans, the county board leadership immediately said yes,” DeKalb County Clerk Tasha Sims said in a release. “This program adds another support element to our ‘DeKalb County Veteran Honor Roll’ program.”

The county’s Veterans Honor Roll program is an initiative aimed at honoring the men and women who have made sacrifices in service to the country, according to the county’s website. Local veterans’ names may be added to a roll maintained by the county clerk. The veteran’s name also may be added to the Honor Roll plaque that’s located outside of the Veterans Assistance Commission in DeKalb, according to the county’s website.

The goal behind becoming a Purple Heart City or County is simple: to honor and show respect for military personnel wounded or killed in action. Project leaders said one such criterion for consideration was to adopt a resolution or proclamation to help make it happen.

“We were more than excited to be part of this outstanding recognition of some of our military veterans,” DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes said in a release. “In the near future, our goal is to add signage to let visitors know our commitment to our local Purple Heart veterans.”

The project stems from one of DeKalb’s own, Jerry “Jug” Johnson, who is a Purple Heart recipient.

The Purple Heart, the nation’s oldest military medal, is an honor awarded to members of the armed forces who were either wounded in war or posthumously to next of kin in memory of those who have either died of wounds received in combat or died in combat.

The predecessor to the Purple Heart medal, established in 1782, was originally known as the Badge of Military Merit and was made of cloth, according to a release.

That was first awarded to three soldiers in Newburgh, N.Y.

By 1932, the design of the current Purple Heart medal was developed by General Douglas MacArthur and created by Miss Elisabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the Quartermaster General, according to a release.

The medal consists of metal and is characterized by the shape of a purple heart trimmed in gold, with Washington’s bust in the center and Washington’s coat-of-arms at the top.

An announcement will be made at a future City Council meeting, and DeKalb County will make one of its own during a special 250th American Anniversary program to be held July 8 on the Courthouse lawn in Sycamore.