An update on plans to install a Purple Heart Monument presented to Frisco City Council members during a Jan. 21 meeting included a hope that the monument would be unveiled this spring.
“Our goal is to have [the monument] in place by Memorial Day 2025 in May,” council member John Keating said.
Council members during the meeting also unanimously approved an agreement with the Military Order of the Purple Heart organization to accept private donations and install the monument at Frisco Commons Park.
Frisco Commons Park is the home of the Frisco Veterans Memorial, which features the Walk of Honor, the Walk of Honor, a Battlefield Cross, the Gold Star Family Memorial Monument, WWII Flyboy statue and multiple information plaques on wars and conflicts since Frisco’s founding in 1902.
One of the plaques commemorates the city’s 2017 declaration as a Designated Purple Heart City. The designation was a community effort that helps bring recognition to “the veterans who were wounded or gave the ultimate sacrifice in combat,” said Rob Altman, chair of the Frisco Veterans Advisory Committee.
About the project
The monument itself is roughly five feet tall and depicts a Purple Heart Medallion as well as inscribed messages. There are two smaller statues next to the monument engraved with twin sentinel soldiers standing guard, Altman said.
Featuring art like the Purple Heart Monument and the other pieces inside the Frisco Veterans Memorial is a way to both show appreciation for the city’s veterans and help them reconnect with their stories, Altman said.
“We've seen and heard stories already about veterans that went to the memorial and family members that said they've never talked about that until they went there,” Altman said.
Some context
As of Jan. 16, the fundraising efforts for the monument have collected $42,000 of a $50,000 goal since starting the campaign in August 2024.
Keating, also a U.S. Army Veteran and member of the Frisco Veterans Advisory Committee, said during the meeting that being short of the goal does not stop the city from placing orders or starting construction.
“We're going to make the goal of $50,000 before May,” Altman said.
The total cost of the project is expected to be less than $100,000, according to meeting documents. Any excess funds will be set aside for future monument maintenance needs.
The committee has been coordinating with the Community Development Corporation, Parks and Recreation Board and city staff to plan and fund the monument. Private donations collected by the Frisco Veterans Advisory Committee have been designated specifically for this project.
Stay tuned
A life-size cardboard replica of the monument can be found on the first floor of the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center. More information can also be found at the project’s donation page here.
