Purple Heart Battalion was the nickname given to a Japanese American unit in the United States Army during World War II (1939-1945). The unit was officially the 100th Battalion of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Credit: U.S. Army Photo/US National Archives

Today, August 7th, is National Purple Heart Day! Why is it called a Purple Heart? And who has received the admirable honor?

The Purple Heart Medal was first called the Badge of Military Merit which was an honor only given to Privates, Corporals, and Sergeants (see Military Rank). George Washington created the award in 1782 to recognize soldiers who excelled in bravery and service. The first recipients were Army soldiers William Brown and Elijah Churchill who served in the American Revolution. Washington designed the medal, a heart made out of purple cloth. In 1932, Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur redesigned the medal as gold medal in the shape of a heart with George Washington on it held by a purple ribbon. Later in 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt changed the eligibility of recipients to include posthumous (after death) recognition and people wounded and injured in battle in all branches of the military. Over the years, more changes have been made to the eligibility for the Purple Heart.

The front and back of a modern US Purple Heart medal.
Credit: © Gary Blakeley, Shutterstock

Many people have earned a Purple Heart for their service. Author Kurt Vonnegut was awarded a Purple Heart after he was held captive in Dresden, Germany, during World War II (1914-1918). He saw that city’s destruction by British and American bombing in 1945. His response to that event is reflected in Slaughterhouse Five (1969).

President John F. Kennedy received a Purple Heart for his service in the Navy following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.​​ A Japanese destroyer cut Kennedy’s boat in two. Two of the crew were killed. Kennedy led the 10 other men to safety despite an injured back from the attack. For his heroism and leadership, Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. For being wounded in combat, he was awarded the Purple Heart.

American football player Pat Tillman also received a Purple Heart. Tillman played for the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League. After seeing the devastation of the September 11 terrorist attacks upon the United States, Tillman enlisted in the military. He was later killed in the line of duty while serving in the Afghanistan War in 2004. Following his death, Tillman was awarded the Silver Star, for valor in combat, and the Purple Heart, awarded to those injured or killed in the line of duty.

United States Senator Tammy Duckworth received a Purple Heart after her helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004. She lost both legs and some of the use of her right arm.

Other recipients of the Purple Heart include pilot Joseph Jacob Foss, marine and former United States secretary of veterans affairs Jesse Brown, the first Asian American to serve in the Senate and the House of Representatives Daniel Ken Inouye, and Senator John McCain. Two service animals, Sgt. Stubby the dog who served in World War I and Sgt. Reckless the horse who served in the Korean War, received the award for their efforts. Animals are no longer eligible for the Purple Heart.

Soldiers take part in a memorial service during an Anzac Day event. Anzac Day is a patriotic holiday in Australia and New Zealand that honors people who served in the armed forces.
Credit: © Kristian Dowling, Getty Images

Today, April 25, is Anzac Day, a patriotic holiday honoring current and former members of the Australian and New Zealand armed forces. ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the name of the combined overseas force that fought in World War I (1914-1918). Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the Allied invasion of Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25, 1915.

In World War I, the Central Powers—Germany and Austria-Hungary—fought against the Allies—an alliance that included the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. As the war progressed, additional countries joined each alliance. Australia and New Zealand, former British colonies, entered the war as allies of the United Kingdom. Allied soldiers from the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere fought troops of the Ottoman Empire, which was aligned with the Central Powers, at Gallipoli. The Ottoman Empire, centered in what is now Turkey, entered the war as a German ally in October 1914.

The ANZAC became known for the bravery and skill of its soldiers fighting against the Ottoman Empire during World War I (1914-1918). ANZAC forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, in Turkey, in an area later called Anzac Cove, shown here. After many months of hard fighting, the troops were withdrawn, and the campaign at Gallipoli failed.
Credit: © Bettmann/Corbis

On April 25, 1915, some 75,000 soldiers from Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom landed on Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. At that time, it was the largest military landing in history. The campaign was a costly failure for the Allies, who left Gallipoli after eight months of brutal and fruitless warfare. Some 127,000 people from all nations died there.

The campaign was particularly hard for ANZAC forces. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed in action during the Gallipoli campaign. More than 19,000 Australian soldiers were wounded. More than 2,700 New Zealanders were killed, and more than 4,700 were wounded. During the campaign in Gallipoli, the ANZAC forces gained a reputation for bravery and skill. In Australia and New Zealand, Anzac Day is observed each year on April 25 in honor of people who have served in the armed forces of the two countries.

On April 25, 1916, services in Australia and New Zealand marked the first Anzac Day to remember the fallen of Gallipoli. Today, Anzac Day services are held throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as at Gallipoli’s “Anzac Cove.” For the last two years, services and celebrations have been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people stood out on their driveways to safely honor the armed forces. This year, traditional dawn services and marches will resume. In Sydney, the dawn service begins at 4:30 a.m. at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, where many young men enlisted to fight in World War I. Cenotaph means empty tomb. War memorial cenotaphs honor soldiers whose bodies lie elsewhere. The solemn service includes a reading of the “Ode of Remembrance,” part of the poem “For the Fallen” written by British poet Laurence Binyon soon after the outbreak of war in 1914:

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.”

The audience then responds: “We will remember them.”

Later in the day, veterans and current service members march from Martin Place towards Hyde Park, where the Anzac Memorial is located. National ceremonies begin a few hours later in Canberra and Wellington, the capital cities of Australia and New Zealand.

March 15, 2019

Today, March 15, marks the 100th anniversary of the first meeting of the American Legion in Paris, France, in 1919. The American Legion is the largest veterans’ organization in the United States. Its creation in Paris came in the months following World War I (1914-1918).  During the war, large numbers of U.S. troops served in Europe. A group of U.S. military officers led by Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., the son of President Theodore Roosevelt, created the organization as a way to organize and help the many soldiers leaving military service.

United States soldiers attend the first meeting of the American Legion on March 15, 1919, in Paris, France. Credit: Harry S. Truman Library & Museum

In January 1919, Lt. Colonel Roosevelt met with other officers following the death of his father, the former president, on January 6. During this meeting, they discussed the problems veterans might face after returning to the United States. Many soldiers would have trouble adjusting to civilian life, finding work, or dealing with the physical and mental scars of the war. Veterans’ organizations had existed previously, but none was adequate to handle the large numbers—2 million soldiers—demobilizing (leaving the military) in 1919. The officers met again in February to plan the first organizational meeting in March, which was attended by some 1,000 people. At that meeting, the organization adopted a temporary constitution and the name the American Legion.

The first meeting of the American Legion took place 100 years ago on March 15, 1919. Credit: © The American Legion

The U.S. Congress granted the American Legion a national charter in September 1919, and the group’s first national convention took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November. All men who had served in the military during wartime were eligible to join the Legion. Also in 1919, an American Legion Auxiliary was created for women veterans and the families of soldiers killed in combat.

Today, men and women may join the American Legion if they are current members of the U.S. armed forces, or have served during a number of war eras specified by the organization and been honorably discharged. The American Legion has about 2 million members and thousands of local posts throughout the United States.