Purple Heart

Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth, the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members – the only earlier award being the obsolete Fidelity Medallion. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York.

Any tally of Purple Hearts is an estimate. Awards are often given during conflict; records aren't always exact.” The estimates are as follows:

World War I: 320,518

World War II: 1,076,245

Korean War: 118,650

Vietnam War: 351,794

Persian Gulf War: 607

Afghanistan War: 7,027 (as of June 5, 2010)

Iraq War: 35,321 (as of June 5, 2010)

Criteria:  The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917, has been wounded or killed. Specific examples of services which warrant the Purple Heart includes:  a) any action against an enemy of the United States; b) any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged; c) while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party; d) as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces; or e) as a result of an act of any hostile foreign force. The two letters c) and e) were added by Executive Order 11016 on April 25, 1962, as U.S. service personnel were being sent to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War as military advisors rather than combatants. As many were being killed or wounded while serving in that capacity in South Vietnam, and because the United States was not formally a participant of the war (until 1965), there was no “enemy” to satisfy the requirement of a wound or death received “in action against an enemy.” In response, President John F. Kennedy signed the executive order that awarded to any person wounded or killed “while serving with friendly foreign forces” or “as a result of action by a hostile foreign force.”

Notable Recipients:    Joe Ellis, U.S.Marines Vietnam war; Bryan Anderson, Iraq War veteran and triple amputee; James Arness, Actor; Vincent Okamoto, Vietnam War veteran; Peter Badcoe, Victoria Cross, Australian Army; John Basilone, Marine Corps, WWII, Medal of Honor; Bryan B. Battaglia, Marine Corps, 2nd Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman; Kristin Beck, a former United States Navy SEAL who gained public attention in 2013 when she came out as a trans woman; Roy Benavidez, Hero of Vietnam, five Purple Hearts received; Joe Beyrle, American soldier that served with both the United States Army and the Soviet Red Army; Rocky Bleier, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers; Dan Blocker, Actor; Pappy Boyington, Marine Corps pilot; Charles Bronson, Actor; J. Herbert Burke, U.S. Representative from Florida; Mel Casas, Artist; John A. Chapman, Medal of Honor; Llewellyn Chilson, Army, 3 awards; David Christian, Army, 7 awards; Wesley Clark, former SACEUR; Cordelia E Cook, first woman recipient of the BSM and the Purple Heart; Ace Cozzalio, 2 awards; Dan Crenshaw, U.S. Representative from Texas and Former U.S. Navy Seal; Steponas Darius, aviator; Ray Davis, Marine Corps General; Sammy L. Davis, Medal of Honor, Army, 2 awards; Danny Dietz Navy SEAL in Operation Red Wings; Bob Dole, Army, 2 awards, former U.S. Senator and Republican Presidential Candidatel; Desmond Doss, WWII, Medal of Honor; Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator from Illinois; Donnie Dunagan, actor; Charles Durning, Actor; Dale Dye, Actor; W. D. Ehrhart, poet and writer; Samuel Fuller, Director; James Garner, Actor, 2 awards; James M. Gavin, Army Lt. General; Salvatore Giunta, Medal of Honor, Army in Afghanistan War; Calvin L. Graham, USN, WWII, youngest Purple Heart recipient, 12 years old; Harold J. Greene, Army General; Eric Greitens, Navy SEAL, Author and former Governor of Missouri; Oren W. Haglund, production manager of eleven ABC/Warner Brothers television series between 1955 and 1961; Joe Haldeman, Writer; Carlos Hathcock, Marine Corps; Daniel Inouye, U.S. Senator from Hawaii, Medal of Honor, WWII; Raymond Jacobs, Marine Corps, flag raiser; Russell Johnson, Actor; James Jones, Writer; John F. Kennedy, Navy, WWII, former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and 35th President of the United States; John Kerry, Navy, former U.S. Secretary of State, former U.S. Senator and Lt. Governor from Massachusetts, and Democratic Presidential Candidate, 3 awards; Ron Kovic, Writer; Melvin Laird, Navy, WWII, former U.S. Secretary of Defense’ Megan Leavey; Robert Leckie, Marine Corps; Marcus Luttrell Navy SEAL in Operation Red Wings’ Aleda E. Lutz, WWII Army Flight Nurse, second most decorated woman in U.S. history.; Jessica Lynch; Al Matthews, Actor; Victor Maghakian, also known as Captain Victor "Transport" Maghakian; Karl Marlantes, author, 2 awards; Lee Marvin, Actor; John McCain, Navy, POW during Vietnam, U.S. Senator from Arizona, and former U.S. Representative from Arizona; Parren Mitchell, U.S. Representative from Maryland’ Robert Mueller, Marine Corps Platoon Commander, Attorney, FBI Director, Special Counsel; Audie Murphy, Medal of Honor, Actor, 3 awards; Michael P. Murphy Medal of Honor, Navy SEAL in Operation Red Wings; Tim O'Brien, author, sergeant; Scott O'Grady, Air Force F-16 Pilot; Robert M. Polich, Sr., Army Air Forces pilot, featured in Minnesota's Greatest Generation (2008) short Film Festival; Colin Powell, Army General, former United States Secretary of State.; Harry Pregerson, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller; Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr., Son of Chesty Puller and author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book Fortunate Son.; Ernie Pyle, WWI US Naval Reserve, WWII War Correspondent; Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr., Navy, President FDR's son; Telly Savalas, actor; Al Schmid, Marine Corps; Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., Commanding General of allied forces during Desert Storm; Ben Schwartzwalder, Hall of Fame Football Coach at Syracuse University; Don W. Sears, Dean and Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Colorado Law School; Sergeant Reckless, Marine war horse of official rank, 2 awards’ Sergeant Stubby, Army K9 WWI, 2 awards; Rod Serling, American screenwriter; Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter’ Eric Shinseki, former Army Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Veterans Administration; W. E. "Pete" Snelson, American politician; Warren Spahn, MLB player; Oliver Stone, director’ Spencer Stone, Air Force Staff Sergeant, Author and Actor, who stopped terrorist attack on train to Paris, France; William Stuart-Houston, nephew of Adolf Hitler; Bruce Sundlun, former Governor of Rhode Island; Pat Tillman, Army Rangers, NFL player; Lauri Törni, Finnish soldier of three armies; Matt Urban, Army, 7 awards; Jay R. Vargas, Marine Corps, 5 awards; Alexander Vindman, Army lieutenant colonel; Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., author; Lewis William Walt, Marine Corps General, 2 awards; Jim Webb, Marine Corps, former Secretary of the Navy, U.S. Senator from Virginia, author and Emmy Award-winning Journalist, 2 awards; Joshua Wheeler; Richard Winters, Army Major; Chuck Yeager, Army Air Forces and Air Force Brigadier General; Gordon Yntema, Medal of Honor recipient; Tyler Ziegel; John Ford, director

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heart