In celebration of National Purple Heart Day and with the theme “Sacred Honor, Living Legacy,” we will remember that honor is not only preserved - it is actively passed on to the next generation.
Purple Heart Day is observed each year on August 7, the day in 1782 when General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, established the Badge of Military Merit - a heart of purple cloth, and the first American military honor open to the common soldier. Revived in 1932 on the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth, it became the Purple Heart we know today: bearing his likeness and awarded to those wounded or killed in combat in defense of the nation.
Remarks will be given by Ben King, Virginia Department Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart; with a reading from the Declaration of Independence; recognition of Purple Heart recipients in attendance; and the Purple Heart Coin Presentation, where recipients pass commemorative coins to the next generation.
This program is free and open to Purple Heart recipients, veterans, families as well as the public.