BUCKLAND — The town is looking to become a Purple Heart Town later this spring.

Although town officials held a Purple Heart ceremony on March 4, expressing gratitude to the community’s servicemen and women, they later learned about the formal process to get the proclamation language and signs approved, which is done through the Military Order of the Purple Heart. To make it official, Buckland intends to redo the ceremony in late May.

“The town of Buckland has always supported its veterans and families since the town’s inception on April 14, 1779,” Selectboard Chair Clint Phillips said during the March 4 ceremony. “Today we bolster that support by acknowledging our fallen and injured combat veterans.

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for all veterans who have served in all the branches in the Armed Forces,” Phillips continued, noting that he is the son of a Purple Heart recipient, Arthur H. Phillips. “I cannot begin to imagine the things our soldiers went through, but I have seen first-hand some of the things they came home with and how it changed their lives. … It is my hope that each time people see these signs in our community they take a moment to remember everything that these soldiers sacrifice.”

The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration in the nation’s history, first established by George Washington in 1782 as the Badge of Merit. The medal is given to soldiers who were wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States.

While the award is given to individual soldiers, municipalities can become Purple Heart Communities by reaching out to their local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart to set up a ceremony with a proclamation that gets approved by the Order.

According to Massachusetts Chapter 875 Commander Al Varelas, the correct process to become a Purple Heart Community is for town officials to meet with the Order, and usually the community’s local chapter of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars. There, all parties discuss the town’s goals and what they would like to do with the signs, as there are multiple designation options, including Purple Heart town, community or city. Varelas then orders the signs to ensure they are the correct size, shape and color, and he or another member of the Order presents them to the town at a proclamation ceremony.

“The process would be they go through me and we set up a proclamation ceremony where we bring them the signs,” Varelas explained. In the case of Buckland’s March 4 ceremony, this process was not followed, prompting the plans to hold an official ceremony later this spring.

He added that the Military Order of the Purple Heart typically asks communities to invite their state legislators, local veterans organizations, a ranking officer from a nearby military base and a minister to the ceremony. The Order also hosts similar celebrations for veterans on National Purple Heart Day on Aug. 7.

There are currently 125 Purple Heart communities in Massachusetts, Varelas said. The Order is working with several other towns that are interested in becoming Purple Heart communities, including Medford, Hingham, Fall River, Granville, Lakeville, Russell and Agawam.

Varelas noted there have been cases where towns get draft Purple Heart proclamations from other communities and then order their own signs that do not meet Military Order of the Purple Heart requirements. When the Order becomes aware of these cases, they require the towns to take down any Purple Heart signs that were installed.

“The Purple Heart is copyrighted, you can’t just use it,” Varelas explained. “We’re very protective of it.”

Town Administrator Heather Butler said Buckland had been told by another Purple Heart Community that it just needed to have a proclamation, and town officials were unaware of the process required to become an official Purple Heart Town. Since learning of the hiccup, the town has contacted Varelas and begun the steps to get the correct signs and hold a proper ceremony.

“I’m happy to backpedal and do it right,” Butler said.

Varelas said he is happy to work with the town to get the proclamation approved and the proper signs ordered. As a disabled Vietnam veteran, he said he loves the work he does with the Order to support other veterans.

“It’s a lot of work but I enjoy it,” Varelas said. “Knowing what I know today, I would do it all over again.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.