August 17, 2010
Good Morning.
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Today is the day after the day the music died. Today is also the anniversary of the birth of Davey Crocket, born August 17, 1786 and the movie, The Wizard of Oz premiered on August 17, 1939. It was the first movie to be made in black and white and in color.
Today we will talk about a National symbol, the Purple Heart. Veterans are also a part of any discussion of this subject.
Much of this information about the Purple Heart comes from an article in the November 2008 edition of National Geographic by Peter Gwin. The Purple Heart is the military medal given for being killed or wounded in combat. The medal was the result of an idea from George Washington. That was originally called the Badge of Military Merit. It was initially intended for enlisted men for exemplary service. The first three went to Sergeants in the Continental Army, although they were not called Purple Hearts.
The award fell out of use until after World War I. The military decided they did not have an award appropriate for the soldier fighting in the then modern war. The Purple Heart was put into use in its current form in 1932, the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth.
By the end of World War II, nearly one million soldiers had earned the Purple Heart. The military, in anticipation of an attack on Japanese soil, had several hundred thousand Purple Hearts made. The supply lasted until 2000, mostly because the bloody battles in Japan never happened. The Atomic bomb ended the war.
The Purple Heart is awarded for “Being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act of any enemy or opposing armed forces.” You must be military personnel to be eligible.
The first Purple Heart was actually awarded on February 22, 1932, Washington’s birthday. The next highest award is the Bronze Star. The award just under the Purple Heart is the Meritorious Service Medal(s). All of these awards are earned by brave, patriotic Americans that deserve our prayers and our thank you.
Since many awards are handed out in the battlefield, exact numbers are not known but it is estimated 964,409 were given in World War II, 136,936 in Korea, 200,676 in Viet Nam, 2 in the Cold War, 590 in the Persian Gulf, 2,743 in Afghanistan, as of 8-21-08 and 33,923 in Iraq, as of 8-21-08. The medal is awarded in the name of the President of the United States from a grateful Nation.
If an individual earns a Purple Heart and is wounded again, any subsequent injury that would earn a Purple Heart is signified by the awarding of an oak leaf cluster.
A movement is underway trying to get the Purple Heart awarded for post traumatic syndrome and similar disorders but it has met with resistance, as I think it should. Create another award but do not dilute the Purple Heart.
During the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, on average, 14 Purple Hearts are earned every day
Tomorrow we just might discuss the attempt to build a Mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan, NY.
Thank you and have a sunny day. I am off to college to drop off my daughter.
Bruce A. Brennan
brucebrennanlaw@aol.com
brucebrennanlaw.com
BLOG: bruceabrennananddekalbilandtheworld.blogspot.com
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