The Purple Heart is an American decoration - the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first American award made available to the common soldier. It was initially created as the Badge of Military Merit by one of the world's most famed and best-loved heroes, General George Washington.
General Washington is often pictured as a cold, stern soldier; a proud aristocrat. Yet we know he showed sympathy and concern for his troops. His keen appreciation of the importance of the common soldier in any campaign impelled him to recognize outstanding valor and merit by granting a commission or an advance in rank to deserving individuals. In the summer of 1782, he was ordered by the Continental Congress to cease doing so, as there were no funds to pay the soldiers, much less the officers.
Deprived of his usual means of reward, he must have searched for a substitute. Shortly after receiving the "stop" order from Congress, he wrote his General Orders of August 7, 1782, which read in part:
"The General, ever desirous to cherish virtuous ambition in his soldiers as well as foster and encourage every species of military merit, directs that whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings, over his left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk edged with narrow lace or binding. Not only instances of unusual gallantry but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way shall meet with due reward. The name and regiment of the persons so certified are to be enrolled in a Book of Merit which shall be kept in the orderly room."
Lost or misfiled for almost 150 years among the War Department Records at Washington, DC, this important paper came to light during the search for Washington's papers prior to the celebration of his bicentennial in 1932. With it were the dramatic accounts of three soldiers who received the decoration at Newburgh, NY, at Washington's Headquarters. The Book of Merit has not been found.
The U.S. War Department revived the Purple Heart decoration on February 22, 1932. The revived form is of metal, instead of perishable cloth, made in the shape of a rich purple heart bordered with gold, with a bust of Washington in the center and the Washington coat-of-arms at the top. The latter is believed to have been the source of the stars and stripes of the American Flag.
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.
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General Washington is often pictured as a cold, stern soldier; a proud aristocrat. Yet we know he showed sympathy and concern for his troops. His keen appreciation of the importance of the common soldier in any campaign impelled him to recognize outstanding valor and merit by granting a commission or an advance in rank to deserving individuals. In the summer of 1782, he was ordered by the Continental Congress to cease doing so, as there were no funds to pay the soldiers, much less the officers.