This Date in History: The Purple Heart

On this Purple Heart Day, we honor all recipients of the Purple Heart award and invite them and all veterans to Coffee Call at the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 6 located at Cajah Mountain Road and Hickory Nut Ridge Road in Hudson, North Carolina.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur had more success.

New look: The design then became what it is today – a purple enameled heart within a bronze border and a profile of Washington in Continental Army uniform. The medal is suspended by a vertical purple band with white borders.

Every year, Purple Heart recipients are nationally celebrated and commended on the date Washington originally established the award. In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order allowing the Navy to award the Purple Heart to Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard personnel.

For more on the Purple Heart, check out its website here.

When Elder received word that he would receive the Purple Heart in 2015, he could barely believe it. The National Defense Authorization Act changed that in 1996, giving World War II and Korean War vets a chance to apply, as long as they had supporting documentation, such as copies of their repatriation medical reports or a witness statement.

The Badge of Military Merit was created to honor non-commissioned and enlisted soldiers who exhibited “not only instances of unusual gallantry in battle, but also extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way”. On February 22, 1932, Washington’s birthday, the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the Order of the Purple Heart.

“Five Winners You Didn’t Know About” is categorized as “us”.