Charles Diggs (right), 1st TSC Support Operations Distribution Integrations Branch, during a Purple Heart presentation ceremony at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, March 13, 2015. On August 7, 1782, the Badge of Military Merit was created.
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In 1931, Summerall’s successor, General Douglas MacArthur, successfully reopened work on the award and decided a new design was in order. General George Washington created the award in 1782.
The Purple Heart had fallen out of use until February 22, 1932 when it was officially reinstituted on the 200th Anniversary of George Washington’s birth, out of respect to his memory and military achievement. It includes Washington’s family coat of arms, as well as “For Military Merit” inscribe in the heart, with space for the recipient’s engraved name.
The Purple Heart was originally only for Army personnel, but after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt extended it to those in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
It’s awarded to valiant military servicemen and women who were injured or killed in combat.
The honor ensures that this “Forgotten War” hero will be remembered forever. In Las Vegas, NV, site of the 2015 MOPH National Convention, the famous “Fremont Street Experience” will feature a special “Purple Heart Day” patriotic sound and light show. Those powerful words remind us of the heroic action of those in the armed service, both past and present.
Residents are kindly asked to take a quiet moment Friday in honor of the nation’s Purple Heart recipients.
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