Purple Heart

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For other uses, see P= urple=20 Heart (disambiguation).

Purple HeartAwarded by United = States=20 of AmericaStatisticsPrecedence


Type	Medal
Eligibility	Military Personnel
Awarded for	"Being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the = United=20 States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing = armed=20 forces"
Status	Currently Awarded
First awarded	22 February = 1932
Next (higher)	Bronze = Star=20 Medal
Next (lower)	Meritorious Service Medals: J= oint=20 Service, Branch=20 Service
Purple Heart = Ribbon

The Purple Heart is a United States military=20 decoration awarded in the name of the Pres= ident=20 to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after 5 = April 1917 with = the U.S. = military. The National=20 Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in Newburgh, New York. The = Purple=20 Heart is the oldest symbol and award that is still given to members of = the U.S.=20 military, surpassed in history only by the long obsolete Fidelity = Medallion.=20 It is also arguably one of the most respected of all military = decorations.

1 Appearance=20
2 History=20
3 Criteria=20
4 Presentation=20 procedures=20
- 4.1 Modern day=20 presentations=20
- 4.2 Unrecorded=20 presentations=20
- 4.3 Retroactive = presentations=20
- <= SPAN=20 class=3Dtocnumber>4.4 Retroactive = requests=20
- 4.5 Destroyed = record=20 requests=20
- <= SPAN=20 class=3Dtocnumber>4.6 Last resort = requests
5 Legal=20
6 See = also=20
7 Trivia=20
8 References=20
9 External = links=20

[edit]=20 Appearance

A Purple Heart is a heart-shaped= medal=20 within a gold border, 1 ³=E2=81=84₈ inches=20 (35 mm) wide, containing a profile of General George = Washington.=20 Above the heart appears a shield of the W= ashington=20 coat of arms (a white shield with two red bars and three red stars = in chief)=20 between sprays of green leaves. The reverse consists of a raised bronze = heart=20 with the words FOR MILITARY MERIT below the coat of arms = and=20 leaves. The ribbon is 1 and ³=E2=81=84₈ inches=20 (35 mm) wide and consists of the following stripes: ¹=E2=81=84₈ inch (3=20 mm) white 67101; 1 ¹=E2=81=84₈ inches=20 (29 mm) purple 67115; and ¹=E2=81=84₈ inch (3=20 mm) white 67101. As with other combat medals, multiple awards are = denoted by award=20 stars for the Navy, Marine = Corps,=20 or Coast = Guard,=20 or oak leaf = clusters for=20 the Army and Air = Force.

[edit]=20 History

The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of = Military=20 Merit, was established by George = Washington=E2=80=94then=20 the commander-in-chi= ef of=20 the Continental = Army=E2=80=94by=20 order from his Newburgh,=20 New York headquarters on 7 August 1782. The actual order = includes the=20 phrase, "Let it be known that he who wears the military order of the = purple=20 heart has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland and shall = forever be=20 revered by his fellow countrymen."

The Badge of Military Merit was only awarded to three Revoluti= onary=20 War soldiers and fell into disuse following the War of Independence. = Although never abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again=20 officially until after World War I.

On 10=20 October 1927, Army=20 Chief of Staff General Charles = Pelot=20 Summerall directed that a draft bill be sent to Congress "to revive = the=20 Badge of Military Merit". The bill was withdrawn and action on the case = ceased=20 on 3=20 January 1928, but=20 the office of the Adjutant = General was=20 instructed to file all materials collected for possible future use.

A number of private interests sought to have the medal reinstituted = in the=20 Army. One of these was the board of directors of the Fort Ticonderoga = Museum=20 in Ticonderoga= , New=20 York.

On 7=20 January 1931,=20 Summerall=E2=80=99s successor, General Douglas = MacArthur,=20 confidentially reopened work on a new design, involving the Washington=20 Commission of Fine Arts. This new design was issued on the bicentennial = of=20 George Washington's birth.

=20

Reverse of the Purple Heart

Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist = in the=20 Office of the Quartermaster= =20 General, was named to redesign the newly revived medal, which became = known=20 as the Purple Heart. Using general specifications provided to her, Will = created=20 the design sketch for the present medal of the Purple Heart. Her obituary, in the=20 8=20 February 1975=20 edition of the Washington = Post=20 newspaper, reflects her many contributions to military heraldry.

The Commission of Fine Arts solicited plaster models from three = leading=20 sculptors for the medal, selecting that of John R. = Sinnock of the=20 Philadelphia = Mint in=20 May 1931. By Executive Order of the Pres= ident of=20 the United States, the Purple Heart was revived on the 200th = Anniversary of=20 George Washington's birth, out of respect to his memory and military=20 achievements, by War Department General Orders No. 3, dated 22=20 February 1932.

The criteria was announced in War= =20 Department circular dated 22 February 1932 and authorized award = to=20 soldiers, upon their request, who had been awarded the Meritorious=20 Service Citation Certificate, Army Wound = Ribbon, or=20 were authorized to wear Wound Chevrons = subsequent=20 to 5 = April 1917, the = day before the=20 United States entered World War I. The = first=20 Purple Heart was awarded to MacArthur.

=20

George Washington

During the early period of American involvement in World War II (7 = December=20 1941-22=20 September 1943),=20 the Purple Heart was awarded both for wounds received in action against = the=20 enemy and for meritorious performance of duty. With the establishment of = the Legion of = Merit, by an=20 Act of Congress, the practice of awarding the Purple Heart for = meritorious=20 service was discontinued.

By Executive Order 9277, dated 3 December 1942, the decoration was = extended=20 to be applicable to all services and the order required that regulations = of the=20 Services be uniform in application as far as practicable. This executive = order=20 also authorized award only for wounds received.

Executive Order 10409, dated 12 February 1952, revised = authorizations to=20 include the Service Secretaries subject to approval of the = Secretary=20 of Defense.

Executive Order 11016, dated 25 April 1962, included provisions = for=20 posthumous award of the Purple Heart.

Executive Order 12464, dated 23 February 1984, authorized award of = the=20 Purple Heart as a result of terrorist attacks or while serving as part = of a=20 peacekeeping force subsequent to 28 March 1973.

The Senate approved an amendment to the 1985 Defense Authorization = Bill on 13 = June 1985 which = changed the=20 precedent from immediately above the Good Conduct = Medal to=20 immediately above the Meritorious=20 Service Medals. Public Law 99-145 authorized the award for wounds = received=20 as a result of friendly fire. = Public Law=20 104-106 expanded the eligibility date, authorizing award of the Purple = Heart to=20 a former prisoner of = war who was=20 wounded before 25 April 1962.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 (Public = Law=20 105-85) changed the criteria to delete authorization for award of the = Purple=20 Heart Medal to any civilian national of the United States while serving = under=20 competent authority in any capacity with the Armed Forces. This change = was=20 effective 18=20 May 1998.

[edit]=20 Criteria

This section may require cleanup to = meet=20 Wikipedia's quality=20 standards.
Please improve this article if you can (June=20 2007).

Paragraph 2-8, Army Regulation 600-8-22 (Military Awards) 25 February = 1996

The Purple Heart was established by General George Washington at = Newburgh,=20 New York, on 7 August 1782, during the Revolutionary War. It was = reestablished=20 by the President of the United States per War Department General Orders = 3, 1932=20 and is currently awarded pursuant to Executive Order 11016, 25 April = 1962,=20 Executive Order 12464, 23 February 1984 and Public Law 98-525, 19 = October=20 1984.

A. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the = United=20 States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while = serving=20 under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed = Services=20 after 5 April 1917, has been wounded or killed, or who has died or may = hereafter=20 die after being wounded-

1. In any action against an enemy of the United States.

2. In any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country = in=20 which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged. =

3. While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed = conflict=20 against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a=20 belligerent party.

4. As a result of an act of any such enemy of opposing armed = forces.=20

5. As the result of an act of any hostile foreign force

6. After 28 March 1973, as a result of an international terrorist = attack=20 against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United = States,=20 recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of the Army, or jointly = by the=20 Secretaries of the separate armed services concerned if persons from = more than=20 one service are wounded in the attack.

7. After 28 March 1973, as a result of military operations while = serving=20 outside the territory of the United States as part of a peacekeeping = force.=20

B. While clearly an individual decoration, the Purple Heart differs = from all=20 other decorations in that an individual is not "recommended" for the = decoration;=20 rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting specific criteria.

1. A Purple Heart is authorized for the first wound suffered under = conditions indicated above, but for each subsequent award an Oak Leaf = Cluster=20 will be awarded to be worn on the medal or ribbon. Not more than one = award=20 will be made for more than one wound or injury received at the same = instant or=20 from the same missile, force, explosion, or agent.

2. A wound is defined as an injury to any part of the body from an = outside=20 force or agent sustained under one or more of the conditions listed = above. A=20 physical lesion is not required, however, the wound for which the = award is=20 made must have required treatment by a medical officer and records of = medical=20 treatment for wounds or injuries received in action must have been = made a=20 matter of official record.

3. When contemplating an award of this decoration, the key issue = that=20 commanders must take into consideration is the degree to which the = enemy=20 caused the injury. The fact that the proposed recipient was = participating in=20 direct or indirect combat operations is a necessary prerequisite, but = is not=20 sole justification for award.

4. Examples of enemy-related injuries which clearly justify award = of the=20 Purple Heart are as follows:

(a) Injury caused by enemy bullet, shrapnel, or = other=20 projectile created by enemy action.

(b) Injury caused by enemy placed mine or trap. =

(d) Injury caused by vehicle or aircraft accident resulting from = enemy=20 fire.

(e) Concussion injuries caused as a result of enemy generated=20 explosions.

5. Examples of injuries or wounds which clearly do not qualify for = award=20 of the Purple Heart are as follows:

(a) Frostbite or trench=20 foot injuries.

(b) Heat stroke.=20

(d) Chemical, biological, or nuclear agents not released by the = enemy.=20

(e) Battle = fatigue.=20

(f) Disease not directly caused by enemy agents. =

(g) Accidents, to include explosive, aircraft, vehicular, and = other=20 accidental wounding not related to or caused by enemy action.=20

(h) Self-inflicted wounds, except when in the heat of battle, = and not=20 involving gross negligence.

(i) Pos= t-traumatic=20 stress disorders.

(j) Jump injuries not caused by enemy action. =

6. It is not intended that such a strict interpretation of the = requirement=20 for the wound or injury to be caused by direct result of hostile = action be=20 taken that it would preclude the award being made to deserving = personnel.=20 Commanders must also take into consideration the circumstances = surrounding an=20 injury, even if it appears to meet the criteria. Note the following = examples:=20

(a) In a case such as an individual injured while making a = parachute=20 landing from an aircraft that had been brought down by enemy fire; = or, an=20 individual injured as a result of a vehicle accident caused by enemy = fire,=20 the decision will be made in favor of the individual and the award = will be=20 made.

(b) Individuals wounded or killed as a result of "friendly fire" = in the=20 "heat of battle" will be awarded the Purple Heart as long as the = "friendly"=20 projectile or agent was released with the full intent of inflicting = damage=20 or destroying enemy troops or equipment.

(c) Individuals injured as a result of their own negligence; for = example, driving or walking through an unauthorized area known to = have been=20 mined or placed off limits or searching for or picking up unexploded = munitions as war souvenirs, will not be awarded the Purple Heart as = they=20 clearly were not injured as a result of enemy action, but rather by = their=20 own negligence.

C. A Purple Heart will be issued to the next of kin of each person = entitled=20 to a posthumous award. Issue will be made automatically by the = Commanding=20 General, PERSCOM, upon receiving a report of death indicating = entitlement.

D. Upon written application to Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, = 9700=20 Page Boulevard. St. Louis, MO 63132-5200, award may be made to any = member of the=20 Army, who during World War I, was awarded a Meritorious Service Citation = Certificate signed by the Commander in Chief, American Expeditionary = Forces, or=20 who was authorized to wear wound chevrons. Posthumous awards to = personnel who=20 were killed or died of wounds after 5 April 1917 will be made to the = appropriate=20 next of kin upon application to the Commanding General, PERSCOM.

E. Any member of the Army who was awarded the Purple Heart for = meritorious=20 achievement or service, as opposed to wounds received in action, between = 7=20 December 1941 and 22 September 1943, may apply for award of an = appropriate=20 decoration instead of the Purple Heart.

F. For those who became Prisoners of War after 25 April 1962, the = Purple=20 Heart will be awarded to individuals wounded while prisoners of foreign = forces,=20 upon submission by the individual to the Department of the U.S. Army of = an=20 affidavit that is supported by a statement from a witness, if this is = possible.=20 Documentation and inquiries should be directed to Commander, PERSCOM, = ATTN:=20 TAPC-PDA, Alexandria, VA 22332-0471.

G. Any member of the U.S. Army who believes that he or she is = eligible for=20 the Purple Heart, but through unusual circumstances no award was made, = may=20 submit an application through military channels, to Commander, PERSCOM, = ATTN:=20 TAPC PDA, Alexandria, VA 22332-0471. Application will include complete=20 documentation, to include evidence of medical treatment, pertaining to = the=20 wound.

H. As noted above, the Purple Heart may be awarded to civilian = nationals of=20 the United States. These individuals must be serving under competent = authority=20 with the Army when wounded. Serving under competent authority with the = Army will=20 include those eligible persons who are employees of the U.S. Government = in a=20 duty (pay or official travel) status when wounds are sustained. Examples = of=20 eligible individuals are as follows:

1. Any Army employee who is traveling outside of the continental = limits of=20 the United States on PCS or temporary duty (TDY) aboard a commercial = aircraft=20 and wounded by international terrorists in an attempted or actual = hijacking=20 incident.

2. An Army employee in an Army office building performing his or = her job=20 who is wounded by an explosive device detonated by international = terrorists.=20

3. A civil or foreign service employee from a U.S. Government = Agency or=20 Department attached to an Army element performing intelligence,=20 counter-terrorist, or other duties with the Army wounded by = international=20 terrorists.

4. An Army employee wounded in an international terrorist incident = in=20 which a soldier or soldiers are also wounded.

[edit]=20 Presentation procedures

[edit]=20 Modern day presentations

Current active duty personnel are awarded the Purple Heart upon=20 recommendation from their chain of command, stating the injury that was = received=20 and the action in which the service member was wounded. The award = authority for=20 the Purple Heart is normally at the level of an Army Brigade, Marine = Corps=20 Division, Air = Force Wing,=20 or Navy Task = Force.=20 While the award of the Purple Heart is considered automatic for all = wounds=20 received in combat, each award presentation must still be reviewed to = ensure=20 that the wounds received were as a result of enemy action.

Modern day Purple Heart presentations are recorded in both hardcopy = and=20 electronic service records. The annotation of the Purple Heart is = denoted both=20 with the service member's parent command and at the headquarters of the = military=20 service department. An original citation and award certificate are = presented to=20 the service member and filed in the field service record.

[edit]=20 Unrecorded presentations

During the Vietnam War, Korean=20 War, and World War II, the = Purple=20 Heart was often awarded "on the spot," with occasional entries made into = service=20 records, but this was often not the case. In addition, during the mass=20 demobilizations that followed each of America's major wars of the 20th = century,=20 it was a common occurrence for the Purple Heart to be omitted from = service=20 records, due to clerical errors, once the service record was closed upon = discharge.

An added complication is that a number of field commanders would = engage in=20 "bedside presentations" of the Purple Heart which would typically entail = a general entering a=20 hospital with a box of Purple Hearts, pinning them on the pillows of = wounded=20 service members, and then departing with no official records kept of the = visit=20 or the award of the Purple Heart. Service members, themselves, could = complicate=20 the issue by leaving hospitals unofficially, returning to their units in = haste=20 to rejoin a battle or to not appear as a malingerer. In such cases, even = if a=20 service member had received actual wounds in combat, both the award of = the=20 Purple Heart, as well as the entire visit to the hospital which treated = the=20 enemy wound, would never be recorded in official records.

[edit]=20 Retroactive presentations

Service members requesting retroactive awards of the Purple Heart = must=20 normally apply through the N= ational=20 Personnel Records Center. Following a review of service records, = those Army=20 members so qualified are awarded the Purple Heart by the U.S. Army Human = Resources Command in Alexandria, = Virginia. Air Force veterans are awarded the Purple Heart by the = Awards=20 Office of Randolph = Air Force=20 Base while the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard presents Purple = Hearts to=20 veterans through the Navy Liaison Officer at the National Personnel = Records=20 Center.

Simple clerical errors, where a Purple Heart is denoted in military = records=20 but was simply omitted from a DD Form 214 = (Report of=20 Separation), are corrected on site at the National Personnel Records = Center=20 through issuance of a document known as a DD-215.

[edit]=20 Retroactive requests

As the Purple Heart did not exist prior to 1932, records of the = decoration=20 are not annotated in service histories of those veterans who were = wounded or=20 killed by enemy action prior to the establishment of the medal. The = Purple=20 Heart, however, is retroactive to 1917 meaning that it may be presented = to=20 veterans as far back as the First World War. = In such=20 cases, service departments will review service histories and all = available=20 records to determine if a veteran may be retroactively awarded the = Purple=20 Heart.

[edit]=20 Destroyed record requests

Due to the 1973 = National=20 Archives Fire, a large number of retroactive Purple Heart requests = are=20 difficult to verify since all records to substantiate the award may very = well=20 have been destroyed. As a solution to this, the National Personnel = Records=20 Center maintains a separate office to deal with Purple Heart requests = where=20 service records have been destroyed in the 1973 fire. In such cases, = NPRC=20 searches through unit records, military pay records, and records of the = Department=20 of Veterans Affairs. If a Purple Heart is warranted, all available = alternate=20 records sources are forwarded to the military service department for = final=20 determination of issuance.

[edit]=20 Last resort requests

Some veterans who have exhausted all available sources, often still = feel that=20 they should be awarded a Purple Heart, even if there are no records of = the=20 decoration. In such cases, service members may appeal directly to the = military=20 service department by way of a Defense Department Form 149, which = requests an=20 official change to military records. Usually, if the 149 is denied by = the=20 service department, there is nothing more a veteran can do and will not = be=20 awarded the Purple Heart. In some cases, however, veterans have been = recommended=20 for the Purple Heart, after the fact, by a United States = Senator or Congressman.=20 Such cases are treated as brand new award recommendations and the = process for=20 presenting the Purple Heart begins again with a review of records and = interview=20 of witnesses to the action in which a service member was wounded.

[edit]=20 Legal

Any false verbal, written or physical claim to the Purple Heart = Medal, by an=20 individual to whom it has not been awarded, is a federal felony offence=20 punishable by jail time and\or a fine (See Stolen = Valor Act of=20 2005).

[edit]=20 See also

Police = Purple=20 Heart

[edit]=20 Trivia

Trivia=20 sections are discouraged under W= ikipedia=20 guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating=20 relevant items and removing ina= ppropriate=20 ones.

During World War II, nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were = manufactured in=20 anticipation of the casualties resulting from the abandoned invasion of = Japan,=20 Operation = Downfall.=20 However, all the American military casualties of the following sixty = years,=20 including the Korean, Vietnam=20 War, and the Iraq War, appear to = have=20 exhausted this stockpile by 2007. [1]

The most Purple Hearts received by one person is eight. Six U.S. Army = soldiers share that distinction:

Richard=20 J. Buck - Four Purple Hearts in the Korean War and = four in the=20 Vietnam=20 War=20
Robert T.=20 Frederick - Eight Purple Hearts in World War II; also received two = Distinguished=20 Service Crosses=20
David H. = Hackworth=20 - Eight Purple Hearts in the Korean War and Vietnam War; also received = two Distinguished=20 Service Crosses and ten Silver Stars=20
Robert L. = Howard -=20 Eight Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War; also received the Medal of = Honor=20
William=20 L. Russell - Eight Purple Hearts in World War II; Silver Star=20
William Waugh - = Eight=20 Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War; also received the Silver Star. =

In May 2006, a soldier made national headlines after giving his = Purple Heart=20 to a girl who had written many letters to troops. [2]

In May 2007, Vietnam veteran Jerrell Hudman announced that he planned = to give=20 one of his three Purple Hearts to George, a Jack Russell terrier. George = died=20 from injuries sustained when he saved a group of five children from = being mauled=20 by two pit bull terriers in New Zealand. [3]

[edit]=20 References

"Case Reference Guide regarding verification and issuance of the = Purple=20 Heart Medal", M= ilitary=20 Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, = Missouri

[edit]=20 External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.or= g/wiki/Purple_Heart"

Categories: = Cle= anup from=20 June 2007 | = All pages=20 needing cleanup | Articles=20 with trivia sections from June 2007 | Military=20 awards and decorations of the United States | Recipients=20 of the Purple Heart medal

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