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Fla. town designated Purple Heart City

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Gulf Coast city of Dunedin is celebrating its designation as America’s first “Purple Heart City.”

Officials dedicated a park and monument in the city’s downtown Thursday to recipients of the Purple Heart. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. military who are wounded or killed in action.

Vietnam veteran and Dunedin resident Danny Sowder — a two-time Purple Heart recipient — brought together veterans and groups and worked with the city to raise more than $11,000 for the downtown park.

Dunedin, west of Tampa, was designated the first “Purple Heart City” in 2006 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The awarding of the medal dates back to the Revolutionary War.