The numbers for the Military Order of the Purple Heart are dwindling in Waukesha. Membership is down to fewer than five. Patrick Craney and Eric Holmes consider themselves among the last few, and both still bear the physical and mental scars of their service to our country. "I was 19 when I was in Vietnam; I celebrated my 20th birthday there," said Eric Holmes.He is standing at Waukesha's Veteran Park with his friend Patrick Craney. The two are both Vietnam War veterans. Though they served at the same time, they were in different places. Both were wounded in the war and awarded the Purple Heart. "As tragic as it is, it is so traumatic," said Eric. "You have scars and you have memories."Those scars came while Eric was serving in the Army."August 24, 1968, the world turned into a lot of bullets and rockets and stuff like that," Eric recalled, remembering the date he was wounded. "I was in an armored outfit. I was in a tank, and I still lost 7 guys in my platoon."A rocket-propelled grenade hit his tank. He survived but lived with fragments of the blast inside his body for years. He says he lives with post-traumatic stress disorder. The sounds similar to those of the blast haunt him to this day, 56 years later.Watch: Waukesha's Military Order of the Purple Heart are down to less than 5 members Waukesha's Military Order of the Purple Heart are down to less than 5 members"The very first explosion on a 4th of July fireworks show, where they go, 'Boom, boom, boom.' That is an instant recall. That is what an RPG sounds like," said Eric. "You remember that every day."Patrick was also in the Army, serving in the infantry the same year as Eric, 1968."I was talking on the radio in the push when I got shot in the arm, and I think another bullet, maybe the same one, hit my radio. I got all kinds of fragments in my back and side," said Patrick. He survived because of his friends."A medevac helicopter came and landed. We were in a firefight at that time. Two of my buddies picked me up by the belt, and we ran over and they threw me into the chopper," said Patrick.While Patrick was in the hospital, his company was overrun."I lost seven members, including the company commander, and that bothered me a lot," said Patrick.Patrick and Eric were long-time members of Waukesha's Military Order of the Purple Heart. They say there are fewer than five members left, mainly due to people passing away and younger Purple Heart recipients not joining. But they are not upset. They say they pray for a day when there are no longer any Purple Heart veterans because it would mean wars are no longer happening."You hope it ends, you hope this ends," said Eric. "When us deceased members no longer exist, there is no need for one. And it would be so great to have a day like that. It would be terrific."Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error