BOERNE, Texas — National Purple Heart Day has been a time to honor members of the military who have received the award, which is given to those who were wounded, or killed in combat.
A fast-growing organization in Boerne working to show their appreciation for more than a single day.
Hundreds came together for the Purple Heart Project Gala in Boerne on July 29th.
Chef Mark Sierra started the Purple Heart Project in 2020 as a yearly, free steak dinner for Purple Heart recipients at his restaurant: Compadres Hill Country Cocina.
“Just to think that it grew from a little house diner here to a big event center here with big sponsors,” Sierra said.
He said he owes its quick growth to a few factors coming together just right. He said that the COVID-19 pandemic actually helped because it left people looking for an excuse to get out of the house. Also, 2020 was the year that WWE Superstar Goldberg moved to Boerne TX.
“Believe it or not, we met at my restaurant,” Sierra said.
The professional wrestler tried Sierra’s restaurant on the suggestion of a friend. When he learned about the Purple Heart Project, he said he took an interest right away.
“Mark And I've been kind of hand in hand from the beginning,” Goldberg said. “Obviously, he does all the hard work and I do anything he asks me to do. That's our relationship in a nutshell.”
Sierra is an army veteran himself becoming a Specialist during his time in Iraq. He said he cooked up the idea years ago... When he saw brothers in arms with purple hearts struggling.
"I wanted them to like, man, you know, we need to find a way to cheer you up,” he said. “We need to find a way to get you out of the house. We need to find a way to get you to interact with more people"
Fewer Purple Heart recipients were recognized this year than in 2022, but Sierra said that was only so they could do more for each.
"Normally would land on the National Purple Heart Day,” he said. “So, we decided that instead of just doing one night out of the year, every month we do something for each,"
Sierra said that on top of the Gala, the Purple Heart Project is paying for Purple Heart recipients to do things like travel to see the Texas Rangers or go on camping trips with their families.
"The family, the spouse, most of the time are the ones that actually deal with it as well,” he said. “So, what we do is we wanted to honor not just the recipient, but the family as well."
You can learn more about The Purple Heart Project and their mission at purpleheartpro.org.