Originally posted by gumbydammit: On August 7, 1782 General George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and NCOs.
Thanks for the info Gumby
My Boss, (Retired USMC First Sergeant) has two of them from his Service in “The Nam”… One from the siege at Khe Sanh. He has plenty of time “down range” on the “Two way Range”..
The Purple Heart, as we know it today, was reestablished February 22, 1932. The 200th anniversary of Washinton's birth. It was made retroactive to the Civil War. The award was for combat related injury or Meritorious Service with the AEF during WWI. Soldiers could petition for award. Approximately 78,000 were awarded to Civil War or later era Soldiers.
The Navy however, did not authorize the Purple Heart until 1942. At that time, they made it retroactive to December 7, 1941. Marines and Sailors could petition for award for the period before Dec. 7, 1941.
In April 1942, the War Dept dropped the award for merit, changing the criteria for award to combat related wounds only.
