Paying tribute to fallen soldiers on Memorial Day comes in many forms. For Joe Mesiano, a Pittsburgh-based musician, that form of tribute is a \u2026<\/b>
\nPaying tribute to fallen soldiers on Memorial Day comes in many forms. For Joe Mesiano, a Pittsburgh-based musician, that form of tribute is a song. Mesiano\u2019s song \u00ab\u00a0Broken Purple Hearts\u00a0\u00bb is a tribute to those who lost their lives fighting in the Vietnam War. But it could still apply to all U.S. soldiers who lost their lives fighting for their country. The Vietnam War was winding down when Mesiano was just barely a teenager. In the early 1990s, he wrote \u00ab\u00a0Broken Purple Hearts,\u00a0\u00bb inspired by two people he knew who served in Vietnam. One of those men was Mesiano\u2019s uncle, whose mind was \u00ab\u00a0totally shattered\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0never the same ever again\u00a0\u00bb when he came back. Mesiano also had a friend who served, was wounded in battle, and received a Purple Heart. Still, Mesiano emphasized the song is not meant to be political, but simply a tribute to the people who fought for our country. Kurt Simmen, a friend of the songwriter, told Fox News how important Memorial Day is to Mesiano. He said a few years ago, he decided to put pictures to Mesiano\u2019s song and make a video. At a Memorial Day picnic, Simmen played the video for attendees and, by his account, \u00ab\u00a0there was not a dry eye in the house.\u00a0\u00bb Simmen said they played the video every year, until the COVID-19 pandemic prevented friends and family from having their annual Memorial Day picnic. He said he still posts \u00ab\u00a0Broken Purple Hearts\u00a0\u00bb on Facebook every Memorial Day. \u00ab\u00a0The song is about Vietnam and the (memorial) wall, but I think it applies to everybody who has ever served and sacrificed,\u00a0\u00bb Simmen said. \u00ab\u00a0I think the song speaks to their legacies and the folks that they leave behind and who miss them.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n