On This Day in American History |
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On Aug. 7, 1782, General George Washington creates the Purple Heart military decoration. It was to be given to soldiers for “any singularly meritorious action.” Given only three recorded times during the Revolutionary War, the award was all but forgotten until it was resurrected and redesigned to its current form in 1932. Today, the Purple Heart is awarded to any U.S. service member who is killed or wounded in action or mistreated as a prisoner of war. While record keeping has been inconsistent, it is estimated that nearly 2 million Purple Hearts have been awarded since 1932. |
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