Purple Heart Merit

On April 7, 1782, George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in order to reward those in the military who performed singular meritorious actions. But for unknown reasons following the Revolutionary War, the award had “broken service” and was not presented to anyone for approximately 150 years. However, it was redesigned in the 20th Century and is now known as the Purple Heart.
One example of the Purple Heart is displayed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Speller of Windsor, N.C. The medal was issued in 1967 in honor of my cousin Ronnie Speller who died while serving in the Vietnam War. The medal was accepted in his honor by his parents upon the return of his body and now hangs proudly in a showcase on the wall of their living room.
military and differs from all other decorations because an individual is not “recommended” for the decoration; rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting specific criteria. Approximately 1.7 million veterans have received Purple Hearts like the one given to Ronnie since the resurgence in 1932. Part of the reason for this large number is that during World War II some 1,506,000 Purple Hearts were made for the war effort in preparation for the invasion of Japan but only about 1,011,000 were distributed. An organization now known as the "Military Order of the Purple Heart," was formed in 1932 for the protection and mutual interest of those who received the decoration. Composed exclusively of Purple Heart recipients, it is the only veterans service organization comprised strictly of "combat" veterans. The most purple hearts awarded to one person is nine and one person has received this named Albert L. Ireland who was wounded nine times during his 12 years of service. The next highest number of Purple Hearts to be awarded to one person is eight and six U.S. Army soldiers share that distinction: Richard J. Buck, Robert T. Frederick, David H. Hackworth, Joe Hooper, Robert L. Howard, William L. Russell, and William