Volume 7
Issue 1
October 2026
Fellow Patriots,
As previously reported and discussed, our 2026 Calendar Fundraising Project generated a small net profit for department programs, it did not generate the funds we anticipated. We subsequently tried again with a Scheels Gift card raffle which also failed to generate any interest in the public and not even within our own membership. So, the Department Executive Committee (DEC) decided we would no longer attempt fundraising at the Department level but instead will rely on the Chapters to hold appropriate events so they can support programs they choose to support. To give the Chapters a “jump start”, the DEC also approved donating $3,000 to each Chapter to use as they want. We wish them the best of luck in all their fundraising efforts. On a sad note, I regret to inform you Tri-City Chapter 0472-AZ-6 (Mesa area) will be permanently closed and the Charter returned to National Headquarters in October. While there are several contributing reasons for the closure, by far the most significant is the lack Members and Associate Members participating in Chapter activities. While not everyone has to be a chapter officer or serve on a committee, a chapter cannot run itself or sustain itself if only four or five members are engaged by supporting chapter meetings, events, and activities. All the members and associate members will be reassigned to another chapter closest to their home address or as a department member at large. I am sad to see the Chapter must be closed but I am very proud of each and every Patriot and Associate Member for all their past, current, and future contributions to OUR Order, OUR Department, and their new Chapters.
Program Coordinators:
Seems like we are (I am) always asking for help from the Chapters, the Members and Associate Members. The Department needs your help. I need coordinators to help manage Department Programs. Before I mention any actual program, maybe I should talk about what the coordinator is supposed to coordinate. First and foremost is coordinating requirements in National programs that are passed down from National to the Department and Chapters, provide support to the Chapters to meet those requirements, and to keep National “honest” by ensuring Chapter input/responses to National requirements are being received and acted upon. Another important aspect of the coordinators job is to help define exactly what our Department Program is or should be. Generally, a Department Coordinator should expect to be engaged in the Program on an average of four to five hours a month, with some months being heavier than others.
So, what programs need coordinators? We can start with the list of programs on the National website (https://www.purpleheart.org/) and then comparing that to what we say or don’t say about our programs on our website (https://www.mophaz.org/). You may find national programs we don’t have and others where we have but aren’t in “alignment”. I hope to improve that alignment by using volunteer department program coordinators.
The first program I want to improve is our ROTC/JROTC Leadership Awards program. We have good chapter programs, but they can always be improved. We do not have anyone in the Department handling all the coordination I mentioned above. Currently, we have 78 schools around the State with either an ROTC (college/university) or a JROTC (high school) program. Annually, the National program recognizes the outstanding cadet, nominated by the ROTC/JROTC instructors, through Chapters by presenting a Certificate and a Leadership Medal. Here in AZ, each Chapter is assigned a group of schools to present the recognition. We don’t have an active Youth Leadership Recognition Program below the ROTC/JROTC level, but we could if we had someone to actually coordinate the Chapter activities and make any necessary adjustments and improvements in the program. If you think this might interest you, I’d like to hear from you at your earliest convenience (commandermophaz@gmail.com)
Rather than me picking which program should be our next priority, I would like to hear from you. If you are in one of our Chapters, suggest it to the Chapter leaders for discussion. If you are a Department Member at Large (DML), contact the department adjutant and let him know your thoughts. Key point to remember is the only “stupid” question or suggestion is the one that is never made or asked.
Tired of being told to and reminded to make your “buddy checks”? Before you answer too quickly ask yourself, “when does someone call me just to check on me?” While it is sometimes, and probably not as often as it should be, it is often associated with “clean up your contact information”, it was not intended for that purpose. The idea is simply: you look out for the person beside you, and they look out for you.
It grows naturally from the buddy/team concept—checking that your buddy is present, equipped, safe, functioning, and okay. The Army was explicitly using “buddy check” in this broader peer-care sense at least by 2017, telling soldiers to know the people to their left and right and recognize when something was wrong. A VA guide likewise describes “buddy check” as a military term for what someone is expected to do to assist a partner. I try to expand this concept to include all Veterans, particularly Brothers and Sisters of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, in the definition of “buddy”. We all have buddies, but if you want to find some “new buddies”, ask your Chapter officers or the Department Adjutant for some opportunities to find and make a new friend. So, in closing, “Do your buddy checks.”
Yours in Patriotism
Larry Leighton
Department Commander
commandermophaz@gmail.co
UNIFORMED SERVICES IN ACTION 2026 CALENDAR: Uniformed Services In Action 2026 Calendar
The Department’s Uniformed Services In Action 2026 Calendar is on sale now. For only $50, you get a great looking calendar AND 55 opportunities to win one and maybe more Scheels $300 Gift Cards. Click Here to Order.
Help make this year’s fundraiser a success by
1) buying at least one calendar for yourself and one for gift,
2) spread the invitation to your family and friends, and 3) share the Sponsor Request Letter with the businesses you frequent (and even those you don’t). Don’t be afraid to ask – you never know they might say YES.
Previous Version of the Purple Heart Artery
Department of Arizona's Newsletter
| Issue Date | Click the Month to Download the Issue |
| 2026 | January, February |
| 2025 | January, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December |
| 2024 | January, February, March, April , May, June |
| 2023 | January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December |
| 2022 | December |
Contribute
We’re always looking for, and interested in new content for the newsletters. We love sharing what our members are doing! Whether it’s getting together, helping their communities, and fulfilling the objects of The Order. Submit your contribution's to your chapter commander.
Not sure what to contribute? Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Commander’s Corner
- Chapter activity
- Well-being of the chapter and members
- Paying tribute to a recently departed member
- Photos of members
- Recipes
- Upcoming events
- Fundraisers
- Anything that you may consider to be for the good of The Order
