The city of Perryville has a strong commitment to military members and veterans. Apparently, someone else has taken notice.
Perryville was named “City of the Year” at the Grande Voiture Du Missouri’s 40 and 8 convention Saturday in Earth City.
“We are excited to be selected for this honor,” Perryville City Administrator Brent Buerck said. “It was never the intention of the city to win an honor like this. It’s ironic that we are recognized for our efforts to recognize the contributions of our veterans.”
The award sets out to recognize a city who puts forth effort to celebrate its veterans and other military members. Buerck pointed out that the organization was impressed with the numerous monuments such as the Missouri National Veterans Memorial, the Wall of Honor in the City Park, and the numerous proclamations and events that are held throughout the year to celebrate the military and veterans.
“The city of Perryville had a very thorough package,” Duane DeClue of American Legion Voiture 1231 said. “They were recognized for being a Purple Heart City, a POW/MIA City, and many other things. Perryville seems to be very military conscious.”
Declue’s group covers a wide area north of Cape Girardeau, south of St. Louis County, East of Rolla, to the Mississippi River. He along with several members helped with the submission process.
“It was quite an honor for us as well,” he said. “We got the pat on the back. The city of Perryville did all the work. They did a tremendous job.”