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The
Purple Heart - Then and Now
(From the
National MOPH website)
Attached to the piece of dark blue cloth is a purple heart of silk, bound with
braid and edged with lace. The cloth is believed to be part of the uniform or
the tunic of a soldier of the Continental Army.
There is no name, rank or regimental insignia on the piece of cloth. The Purple
Heart is displayed in Washington, DC, at the Society of the Cincinnati's
Anderson House Museum and another at Washington's Headquarters State Historic
Site in Newburgh, New York. The Purple Heart itself is what signified a hero of
the Revolutionary War.
The Purple Heart was awarded to three soldiers - Sgts. Elijah Churchill,
William Brown, and Daniel Bissell Jr. On May 3, 1783, Churchill
and Brown received the Purple Heart, then called the Badge of Military Merit,
from Gen. George Washington, its designer and creator. Bissell received his on
June 10, 1783. These three are the only known recipients of the award during the
Revolutionary War.
On August 7, 1782, at his Newburgh, New York headquarters, Washington devised
two badges of distinction to be worn by enlisted men and noncommissioned
officers. The first was a chevron to be worn on the left sleeve of the coat. It
signified loyal military service. Three years of service with "bravery, fidelity
and good conduct" were the criteria for earning this badge; two chevrons meant
six years of service.
The second, named the Badge of Military Merit, was the "figure of a heart in
purple cloth or silk edged with narrow lace or binding." This badge was for "any
singularly meritorious action" and permitted the wearer to pass guards and
sentinels without challenge. The honoree's name and regiment were inscribed in a
Book of Merit.
After the Revolutionary War, no more Americans soldiers received the Badge of
Military Merit. It was not until October 10, 1927, that Army Chief of Staff,
General Charles P. Summerall, directed a draft bill to be sent to Congress "to
revive the Badge of Military Merit."
The Army withdrew the bill on January 3, 1928, but the Office of the Adjutant
General filed all correspondence for possible future use.
Although a number of private efforts were made to have the medal reinstituted,
it wasn't until January 7, 1931 that Summerall's successor General Douglas
MacArthur, confidentially reopened the case. His object was to have a new medal
issued on the bicentennial of George Washington's birth.
Miss Elizabeth Will, in the Office of the Quartermaster General, created the
design from guidelines provided her. The only difference in her design is that a
sprig appeared where the profile of Washington is on the present Purple Heart.
John R. Sinnick of the Philadelphia Mint made the plaster model in May 1931. The
War Department announced the new award on February 22, 1932.
After the award was reinstated, recipients of a Meritorious Service Citation
Certificate during World War I, along with other eligible soldiers, could
exchange their award for the Purple Heart.
At the same time, revisions to Army regulations defined the conditions of the
award.
"A wound which necessitates treatment by a medical officer and which is received
in action with an enemy, may in the judgment of the commander authorized to make
the award be construed as resulting from a singularly meritorious act of
essential service." At that time the Navy Department did not authorize the issue
of the Purple Heart, but Franklin D. Roosevelt amended that. By Executive Order
on December 3, 1942, the award was extended to the Navy, Marine Corps, and the
Coast Guard beginning December 6, 1941.
President Harry S. Truman retroactively extended eligibility to the Navy, Marine
Corps, and Coast Guard to April 5, 1917, to cover World War I.
President John F. Kennedy extended eligibility on April 25, 1962, to "any
civilian national of the United States who, while serving under competent
authority in any capacity with an armed force..., has been, or may hereafter be,
wounded."
President Ronald Regan, on February 23, 1984, amended President Kennedy's order,
to include those wounded or killed as a result of "an international terrorist
attack." Purple Heart Medals were awarded to military members or next of kin
who were wounded or killed in the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001.
Army regulations, amended June 20, 1969, state that any "member of the Army who
was awarded the Purple Heart for meritorious achievement or service, as opposed
to wounds received in action, between December 7, 1941 and September 22, 1943,
may apply for award of an appropriate decoration in lieu of the Purple Heart."
There are no records of the first individual who received the revived and
redesigned Purple Heart. Local posts of the American Legion and the Adjutant
Generals of state National Guards both held ceremonies to honor recipients.
What Washington wrote in his orderly book on August 7, 1782 still stands today:
"The road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is thus open to all.
This order is also to have retrospect to the earliest stages of the war, and to
be considered a permanent one."
Shortly after the award was re-instituted a group of combat wounded veterans in
Ansonia, Connecticut, formed the first chapter of the civilian organization
whose membership was composed of recipients of the decoration. Their action gave
birth to a fraternal body which, until then, had been just a record on paper.
The living organization grew rapidly during and after World War II and is now a
nationwide body. It became known as the "MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART of
the United States of America, Inc." (MOPH) The organization was chartered by
Congress by H.R. 13558 which became Public Law 85-761, on August 26, 1958.
MOPH maintains its' national headquarters in Springfield, Virginia, and has
chapters throughout the United States. The organization represents veterans'
interests before Congress, the Veterans Administration, the Department of
Defense, and elsewhere.
In addition, the Order is proud of its key role in the National Service Program.
The Order maintains a full time National Service Director who supervises the
over 300 salaried and volunteer service officers. All Purple Heart Service
Officers have been accredited by the Veterans Administration. They provide
assistance and representation for all veterans, their dependents and survivors,
in obtaining their rightful entitlements and benefits. All service is always
FREE. the center and the Washington coat-of-arms at the top. The latter is
believed to have been the source of the stars and stripes of the American Flag.
The PURPLE HEART is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are
wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to
the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds
received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.
An organization now known as the "Military Order of the Purple Heart," was
formed in 1932 for the protection and mutual interest of all who have received
the decoration. Composed exclusively of Purple Heart recipients, it is the only
veterans service organization comprised strictly of "combat" veterans.
Funds for welfare, rehabilitation and/or service work carried on by the
organization are derived through the collection of used household items, the
operation of Thrift Stores, through the donation of automobiles and, at the
community level, from the annual distribution of its official flower, the Purple
Heart Viola. Violas are assembled by disabled and needy veterans, many of whom
receive little or no compensation from other sources. Thus your contribution to
programs of the Military Order of the Purple Heart serve a two-fold purpose—they
help the veterans who participate in these endeavors and enable the organization
to do many things on behalf of hospitalized and needy veterans and their
families.
Wives, mothers, daughters, step-daughters and adopted daughters of Purple Heart
recipients are eligible to belong to the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Military Order
of the Purple Heart, which also does important work nationally and locally in
Veterans’ Hospitals. Further information about the Order and its Ladies’
Auxiliary may be obtained from the National Headquarters as listed below.
Contact one of
the Officers listed HERE
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