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The Purple Heart Kenneth Riege
THE PURPLE HEART
By Kenneth Riege
The Purple Heart Medal as it appears today.
The Purple Heart Medal is the oldest military award still presented to U.S. Military Members. Let’s look at the history of how and why this decoration was established.
The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by General George Washington on 7 August 1782. General Washington was at that time the Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army.
The “Badge of Military Merit” that was established by General George Washington in 1782.
While I am unsure who was the first recipient of the “Badge of Military Merit,” we know the first Purple Heart Medal, (which by Executive Order of the President of the United States was revived on the 200th Anniversary of George Washington’s birth, out of respect to his memory and military achievements, by War Department General Order #3, dated 22 Feb. 1932) was presented to General Douglas MacArthur.
Veterans who had served in the United States Military during WWI and were Wounded In Action (WIA) were eligible to apply for a Purple Heart Medal, or if that military member was Killed In Action (KIA) or had already passed, then the next of kin was able to apply for this medal. This is how it came about that I received a Purple Heart Medal on behalf of my grandfather, Pvt. Paul Emerson Riege, who served with the 1st Battalion/5th Marines and was WIA twice.
My grandfather passed in March 1990, and no one in my family knew if he had ever applied for or received his Purple Heart Medal. Sadly, this is where this part of the story would have ended if it had not been for an organization called “Purple Hearts Reunited.” This is a wonderful organization of which I am a proud volunteer. This organization was created by a Purple Heart Recipient of the Iraq War, Major Zachariah Fike, whose mission is to find and/or replace missing or stolen medals, or in the case of my grandfather, work for medals that were never presented. I highly recommend everyone check out their website and support this fine organization.
Please visit: www.purpleheartsreunited. org
During World War II, an estimated 506,000 Purple Heart Medals were manufactured in anticipation of the projected casualties that would result from an invasion of mainland Japan. These medals have been used for the Korean and Vietnam War, The Persian Gulf War, and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is a collage of pictures that were taken in May 2015 as I was presented the Purple Heart Medal in honor of my grandfather Pvt. Paul Emerson Riege. This award came almost 100 years after he was wounded twice during WWI.
The Criteria for receiving the Purple Heart Medal: The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917, has been wounded or killed. Specific examples of services
which warrant the Purple Heart includes: a) any action against an enemy of the United States; b) any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged; c) while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party; d) as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces; or e) as a result of an act of any hostile foreign force.
Estimating the number of Purple Heart Medals earned during wars is often difficult. Awards are often presented during conflicts and records are not always exact. The following estimates are just that, estimates:
World War 1: 320,518
World War 2: 1,076,245
Korea: 118,650
Vietnam: 351,794
Persian Gulf: 607
Afghanistan War: 7,027
Iraq War: 35,321 (The numbers found for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, were dated from June 2010, so these numbers are sadly higher.)
There have been many famous people who have served in our great military as have many of our U.S. Presidents, however, there was only one President who earned the Purple Heart Medal and that was President John F. Kennedy for his wounds suffered during WWII. Then Lt. Junior Grade John F. Kennedy was in command of PT (Patrol Torpedo Boat) 109.
Almost everyone knows about Gallup, NM, being named “The Most Patriotic Small Town in America,” but many may not know that Gallup, NM, has also been designated as a “Purple Heart City.” This designation was approved in April 2016 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart Organization.
This is the designated parking spot for all Purple Heart Recipients at the Comfort Suites in Gallup.
We are honored to have many Purple Heart Recipients living in and around our great community. These brave veterans gave so much to ensure and to protect our freedoms; many others having given their own life, which has allowed us to do what we do every day.
This month’s Medal of Honor Quote comes from Salvatore A. “Sal” Giunta who received his Medal of Honor (and Purple Heart Medal) for his actions in Afghanistan on 25 Oct 2007. Staff Sgt. Giunta was the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
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