The Purple Heart Medal had its early beginnings in the 1770s. General George Washington was then Commander of the Continental Army of the colonies. He was a commander who led by example and formed an extraordinarily personal and fraternal bond with his army. He was very well aware of the sacrifices of his men and was personal witness to their courage in battle that he never failed to reward their heroic efforts through “field promotions”. A soldier who displayed exemplary gallantry in battle was not only promoted in rank but was also given monetary reward.
When the British surrendered in 1781 and when the American Revolution ended in 1782, government funds were exhausted and Congress had informed the General to stop all forms of promotion. The General thought of other ways to continue with the practice of recognizing his men’s meritorious service. Thus was formalized Gen. George Washington’s General Order of August 7, 1782. In these General Orders, he ordered that any enlisted or non-commissioned veteran who has served with “bravery, fidelity and good conducted” be given a chevron (an inverted V) to be worn on the left sleeve. Service of three years merited one chevron while six years merited two. This badge focused on service and not rank, meaning even the common soldier could be awarded this badge of service.
Gen. George Washington even went further by including in his General Orders of 1782 that a badge also be given to a citizen or an individual who have similarly exemplified and did acts of bravery and extraordinary merit. This would be known as the Badge of Military Merit.
The Badge of Military Merit was fashioned out of purple, silk cloth with white, lace borders. Any one who received this Badge also received privileges that are usually only available to officers. The first two recipients of this Badge of Merit were Sergeant Elijah Churchill and Sergeant William Brown. The badges were made personally by Gen. Washington and they came with a certificate listing why the award was being given. The award, however, did not catch on with Gen. Washington’s successors and was soon forgotten.
Two hundred years later, during the preparations for the bicentennial celebration of Gen. Washington’s birth, Gen. Douglas McArthur decided to re-establish the Badge of Military Merit. The Purple Heart Medal carries the profile of Gen. Washington on its front. Purple heart recipients were those who were killed or wounded in combat.
Today, the Purple Heart medal is one of the most highly recognized and respected awards. One cannot get a Purple Heart by achievement or service alone but by sacrificing blood in combat – death or combat wound or as a prisoner of war.
Other criteria which make one eligible to be a Purple heart recipient are the following:
- Wounded or killed as a direct consequence of foreign terrorist attacks against the United States or friends of the United States.
- Wounded or killed as a direct result of military operation while serving as peacekeeping force outside the United States.
Click here to acces the Purple Heart Recipients database.
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