A new Purple Heart memorial in front of the Niagara County Courthouse in Lockport will be unveiled at 1 p.m. Aug. 6.
Retired Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rocky Bleier, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, is scheduled to speak at the event.
Bleier overcame physical injuries suffered in the war while serving as an Army infantryman and returned to football, where he played in and won four Super Bowls with the Steelers. Beyond football, his credits range from motivational speaker to author and actor.
The new granite memorial will feature the etched names of 468 Purple Heart recipients from Niagara County, according to County Clerk Joseph A. Jastrzemski. He said that 91 living recipients of the medal in the county have been invited to attend the unveiling.
An existing display honoring medal recipients inside the courthouse rotundo will complement the monument and will be open to the public at the unveiling.
On Aug. 5, Bleier is also scheduled to attend a gathering of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 268, Niagara County, where he will speak and sign books, according to Robert Hull, the chapter’s president.
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