Today, August 7, is National Purple Heart Day. The Purple Heart medal is one of America’s oldest military awards, older than the Medal of Honor. It is awarded to those wounded or killed in battle, American military heroes who suffered and sacrificed so that we could be free.
Awarding a Purple Heart always has a measure of sadness, whether it is given to a wounded or a fallen soldier, but it also is a reminder of America at its best. Sometimes it seems as if the news now is chock-full of crime, lies, treachery, and evil, but America has heroes as well as villains. Today is a great day to pause and be thankful for the millions of U.S. military members over the centuries who have paid the price for freedom.
From We Are the Mighty:
On August 7th, we celebrate Purple Heart Day. Today America recognizes the brave men and women wounded or killed while serving. We celebrate this day today because it’s the anniversary of the medal’s creation. George Washington created the military award during the Revolutionary War. Back then, he called it the Badge of Military Merit. Soldiers earned it by demonstrating exceptional bravery on the battlefield.
Then, in 1932, the medal became the Purple Heart. That’s because the medal was renamed to honor Washington’s coat of arms, which featured a purple field with white stars. In 2000, Congress established August 7th as National Purple Heart Recognition Day…Wounded or killed in action service members are eligible to receive the Purple Heart.
In honor of National Purple Heart Day, I want to share just a few stories of Purple Heart recipients.
The image at the top of this article is from June 9, 2017 (courtesy of AP Photo/Carlos Osorio). The medal belongs to former Army medic James McCloughan. McCloughan saved 10 soldiers’ lives during a Vietnam War battle, a remarkable feat.
John Footman was wounded twice in Vietnam — once with a shot to the leg, and several years later from an exploding mine. Both times, soldiers “close to him” were killed. “When you lose a battle buddy you try to pick up more of your battle buddies and try to move on,” he said.
Make the Connection shared stories of Purple Heart recipients, including two Marines they simply call Rich and Justin. “There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. The shells were raining down on us,” Rich recalled of his nightmarish experience in the Vietnam War. Mortar rounds and explosions filled the air, and Rich was wounded. “I saw so many of my buddies that were hit real bad,” he stated. “A couple were dead. It’s a sight that I don’t ever care to see again.”
Justin, meanwhile, was seriously wounded during a “routine combat patrol in Iraq.” His fellow Marines thought he was dead when sniper fire hit him behind his left ear. “I’m only here because a young Navy corpsman showed amazing courage under fire and saved my life,” Justin said.
Not many Civil War soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart, but N. Benton Yackey was one of them. A newspaper clipping from the Louisiana Advocate describes him as having shown “valor in action in a Civil War skirmish near Memphis, Mo., on August 2, 1862, when he was shot five times. He still carries two of the bullets in his side.” The clipping is from 1934.
Related: Old Joe Biden Says With a Straight Face: ‘I’ve Proven Myself to Be Honorable’
Army soldier Loren Anderson fought across France and Germany in World War II. He was heading a patrol in Neuendorf when the Germans opened fire, and Anderson and his comrades took shelter in a Catholic chapel. “The Germans were throwing everything in there, and they brought in some big shell, and I still remember, a big shell going down the aisle and hitting the alter [sic] where some of our men were, then the screams,” he said. “I was wounded that night. They were throwing in all kinds of grenades, concussion grenades, my helmet was taking it, mostly. But after a while I lost my glasses and got hit with a little bit of shrapnel.” Anderson received three weeks of medical treatment before finishing out the war in active service.
To all Purple Heart recipients, thank you for your sacrifice.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member