Purple Hearts
Most military decorations are for recognition of courage in various circumstances. The Purple Heart is a US award, given to members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard who have been wounded or killed in combat. Originally known as the Badge of Military Merit, it is awarded by order of the President and was authorized by George Washington in 1782. The medal is a heart shape, colored purple within a gold border. A profile of Washington and his coat of arms is displayed on the front and the words, for military merit, appear on the reverse.
Three soldiers received the medal during the American War of Independence but it then fell out of favor. There was a campaign to bring it back into use involving General Douglas MacArthur, who commissioned a new design. In 1932, the new design now known as Purple Hearts was officially sanctioned on the 200th Anniversary of George Washington's birth. The first of these was awarded to MacArthur himself.
There are specific rules for when the medal can be given and when it should not, and additional circumstances have been added. It has been awarded for death or injury sustained in a terrorist attack or when on duty as part of a peacekeeping force since 1984. It was decided the following year to allow the medal to be given in friendly fire situations. Purple Hearts can be awarded to prisoners of war. A wound is defined as an injury that requires medical treatment and this must have been recorded in an official record. This would include injury by a bullet, projectile or shrapnel. Concussion as a result of an enemy explosion would also apply, as would nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.
Equally, there are situations where the decoration is not deemed appropriate. Any deliberate self-inflicted wound does not count or putting oneself in harms way, not required by the needs of combat. An act of aggression by a comrade does not apply either or an injury that is the result of withdrawing or taking cover. Accidents not sustained in actual combat or conditions such as frostbite will not be recognized. The medal is not given for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or loss of hearing years after the event. Purple Hearts may be awarded retrospectively, as far back as 1917.
The record number of awards given to an individual stands at eight, and four soldiers share this statistic. These were given in the Vietnam and Korean wars, with the exception of one soldier who collected all eight of his in World War II. The Police force has an equivalent Law Enforcement Purple Heart for officers killed or wounded in the line of duty.
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