The Honor of Purple
Today in history George Washington created the Purple Heart Medal, originally called the Badge of Military Merit, when he was commander of the Continental Army. I decided to look up some of the recipients and wanted to share some interesting ones I found.
Sergeant Elijah Churchill
He was awarded the first Badge of Merit (Purple Heart medal) on May 3, 1783. The order conferring the Badge of Military Merit to Sergeant Elijah Churchill reads in part:
General George Washington, Esquire General and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of the United States of America, Etc.
That Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons, in the several enterprises against Fort George and Fort Slongo on Long Island, acted in a very conspicuous and singularly meritorious part; that at the head of each body of attack he not only acquitted himself with great gallantry, firmness and address; but that the surprise in one instance, and the success of the attack in the other, proceeded in a considerable degree from his conduct and management.
Now therefore Know Ye, that the aforesaid Sergeant Elijah Churchill, hath fully and truly deserved, and has been properly invested with the Honorary Badge of Military Merit, and is authorized to pass and repass all guards and military posts as fully and amply as any Commissioned Officer whatever; and is hereby recommended to that favorable notice which a Brave and Faithful Soldier deserves from his Countrymen. –revolutionarywararchives.org
Cordella Elizabeth “Betty” Cook
Betty was the first woman in the U.S. Army to receive the Purple Heart award and the Bronze Star Medal. “She became a surgical nurse of first lieutenant rank in the United States Army Nurse Corps. Cook was sent to Europe during World War II. The field hospital in Italy she was working at was bombed, while she was nursing wounded soldiers in 1943. In spite of the dangers she continued her nursing duties into January 1944 at the 11th Field Hospital in the Presenzano sector at the Italian front. Cook sustained a shrapnel wound from German artillery fire while carrying out her duties.” –findagrave.com
Calvin Leon Graham
Calvin “gained attention as the boy who lied so he could enlist in the Navy at age 12 during World War II
The young Mr. Graham was a gunner on the U.S.S. South Dakota while it was buffeted by the Japanese in the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. He was struck in the jaw and mouth by shrapnel while his battleship suffered 47 enemy hits. Though seriously wounded, he helped pull other crew members to safety.
The next year, the Navy discovered Mr. Graham's age. He became known to headline-writers as the "baby vet" after the Navy gave him a dishonorable discharge and revoked his disability benefits and his decorations, including a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.” –nytimes.com
In later years he struggled to get the decorations and the benefits back and to get an honorable discharge, retroactively. He was aided by political figures like the Senators Lloyd Bentsen, a Democrat, and John G. Tower, a Republican, both of Texas.
Eventually, he got the discharge, and won back all his decorations, except the Purple Heart. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation that granted him disability benefits. –nytimes.com
Staff Sergeant Reckless
Reckless was a war horse who she held official rank in the U.S. military.
Sergeant Stubby
Stubby became the official mascot of the American Expeditionary Force, and did his part to raise morale to the war-weary soldiers on the front lines. During his tour of duty in Europe, Stubby participated in 17 battles and four major offensives – including the St. Mihel, Meuse-Argonne, Aisne-Marne, and Champagne Marne campaigns. In February 1918, while fighting in a heated sector north of Soissons, Stubby found himself under constant artillery and sniper fire for over a month straight with no respite, responding by howling and barking in "a battle rage" every time gunshots started ringing out. He was wounded in action later that month in a chemical weapons attack, when the Germans launched some mustard gas that poisoned the little dog so hard it nearly died. Instead of croaking, Stubby became more hardcore – he could now sniff out mustard gas before it became lethal. From that point on, any time a gas canister exploded near American lines, the dog would run up and down the trenches barking and biting men until they put their gas masks on, an act that saved countless lives. Once his comrades were properly masked-up, Stubby would run and hide until the gas cloud cleared. –badassoftheweek.com
