Local Vet Helps Spread Awareness Of Military Order Of Purple Heart
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Local Vet Helps Spread Awareness Of Military Order Of Purple Heart
By Lindsay Ross-
It's a day to honor soldiers and veterans who were injured by the enemy in combat.
This year's observance was Aug. 7.
Though the Military Order of the Purple Heart is a widely recognized military decoration, most people are not aware of its unique history that dates back to the Revolutionary War.[[In-content Ad]]During the war, General George Washington wanted to recognize soldiers who had exemplified outstanding merit or extraordinary valor, so he began granting commissions or advancements in rank. But in the summer of 1782 he was ordered to stop this practice by the Continental Congress; there were no funds to pay the soldiers, so granting commissions was out of the question.
Washington thought of a new way to recognize and reward soldiers, however. He created the Badge of Military Merit - now known as the Purple Heart - to recognize "instances of unusual gallantry, extraordinary fidelity and essential service."
The Badge of Military Merit was instated Aug. 7, 1782. Washington designed the decoration of the Purple Heart, instructing that it be a heart made of purple cloth or silk and edged with lace or binding. His reasons for choosing a heart or the color purple are unknown, but some think that the heart symbolizes soldiers' love and devotion to their country, and the purple might have been chosen for its symbolism of royalty.
After the Revolutionary War, the Purple Heart was unused and lost to history for almost 150 years until Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur rediscovered it in 1931.
MacArthur wanted to instate a new decoration to commemorate the bicentennial of Washington's birth, so he organized a search through some historical documents to get ideas. The search warranted an account of three Revolutionary War soldiers who had received this decoration from Washington.
So how had the Purple Heart been lost to history for a century and a half?
Donald Guard, a local Purple Heart historian and two-time Purple Heart recipient, said the lack of military structure and record keeping during the Revolutionary War were the key reasons.
"We have to keep in mind, this was not an organized army," said Guard. "These were people who fought for three months, went home and farmed and then came back for three months.
"So when the war was over, these people just went home. There was no ticker-tape parade down Wall Street. These guys went home, said 'hi' to the wife and kids and went back to farming or shopkeeping or blacksmithing. They didn't really care who was in charge of all those books, and so they were lost," Guard said.
The Badge of Military Merit was renamed the Purple Heart and designated as a combat award exclusively for "a wound which necessitates treatment by a medical officer and which is received in action with an enemy."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt extended the Purple Heart award to include the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard in December 1942.
Harry S. Truman made it retroactive to April 5, 1917, to include World War I veterans. The decoration was redesigned as a heart made of metal, with a profile of Washington in the center and his coat-of-arms on top. The back has the engraved inscription "For Military Merit."
Guard and other Purple Heart recipients are dedicated to spreading awareness of the Purple Heart through their organization, the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Members go into schools, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, and other venues to educate people about the history and significance of the Purple Heart.
"We're a very small organization, we're very unique," said Guard. "We're Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard - men and women. We do not wear our uniform of the service; we wear our Purple Heart uniform. We're proud of our individual service obviously, but our focus now is on the Purple Heart."
It's a day to honor soldiers and veterans who were injured by the enemy in combat.
This year's observance was Aug. 7.
Though the Military Order of the Purple Heart is a widely recognized military decoration, most people are not aware of its unique history that dates back to the Revolutionary War.[[In-content Ad]]During the war, General George Washington wanted to recognize soldiers who had exemplified outstanding merit or extraordinary valor, so he began granting commissions or advancements in rank. But in the summer of 1782 he was ordered to stop this practice by the Continental Congress; there were no funds to pay the soldiers, so granting commissions was out of the question.
Washington thought of a new way to recognize and reward soldiers, however. He created the Badge of Military Merit - now known as the Purple Heart - to recognize "instances of unusual gallantry, extraordinary fidelity and essential service."
The Badge of Military Merit was instated Aug. 7, 1782. Washington designed the decoration of the Purple Heart, instructing that it be a heart made of purple cloth or silk and edged with lace or binding. His reasons for choosing a heart or the color purple are unknown, but some think that the heart symbolizes soldiers' love and devotion to their country, and the purple might have been chosen for its symbolism of royalty.
After the Revolutionary War, the Purple Heart was unused and lost to history for almost 150 years until Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur rediscovered it in 1931.
MacArthur wanted to instate a new decoration to commemorate the bicentennial of Washington's birth, so he organized a search through some historical documents to get ideas. The search warranted an account of three Revolutionary War soldiers who had received this decoration from Washington.
So how had the Purple Heart been lost to history for a century and a half?
Donald Guard, a local Purple Heart historian and two-time Purple Heart recipient, said the lack of military structure and record keeping during the Revolutionary War were the key reasons.
"We have to keep in mind, this was not an organized army," said Guard. "These were people who fought for three months, went home and farmed and then came back for three months.
"So when the war was over, these people just went home. There was no ticker-tape parade down Wall Street. These guys went home, said 'hi' to the wife and kids and went back to farming or shopkeeping or blacksmithing. They didn't really care who was in charge of all those books, and so they were lost," Guard said.
The Badge of Military Merit was renamed the Purple Heart and designated as a combat award exclusively for "a wound which necessitates treatment by a medical officer and which is received in action with an enemy."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt extended the Purple Heart award to include the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard in December 1942.
Harry S. Truman made it retroactive to April 5, 1917, to include World War I veterans. The decoration was redesigned as a heart made of metal, with a profile of Washington in the center and his coat-of-arms on top. The back has the engraved inscription "For Military Merit."
Guard and other Purple Heart recipients are dedicated to spreading awareness of the Purple Heart through their organization, the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Members go into schools, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, and other venues to educate people about the history and significance of the Purple Heart.
"We're a very small organization, we're very unique," said Guard. "We're Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard - men and women. We do not wear our uniform of the service; we wear our Purple Heart uniform. We're proud of our individual service obviously, but our focus now is on the Purple Heart."
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