The Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Department of Virginia will host a special National Purple Heart Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, August 7, 2026, in the Shrine of Memory - 20th Century at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.
This inspiring event will honor the estimated two million men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces from the Revolutionary War to today and were wounded or killed in combat and were awarded the Purple Heart Medal which bears the image of President George Washington, Commander of the Continental Army.
Members of the public and especially Purple Heart recipients and their families are invited and encouraged to attend and participate. National Purple Heart Day will be commemorated across America and at Mount Vernon, the home of President and General Washington, on Saturday, August 8.
According to Ben King, Commander of MOPH Department of Virginia, the theme of this year’s ceremony is “Sacred Honor, Living Legacy.” The program will include a welcome from Virginia War Memorial Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle, a keynote address by MOPH Virginia Commander Ben King, an invocation by MOPH Virginia Chaplain Brian Moore, and readings from the Declaration of Independence celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
All Purple Heart recipients in attendance will be recognized, and special commemorative coins will be presented to active-duty service members and students who participate in Purple Heart activities at their schools throughout the Commonwealth.
Also, during the Richmond ceremony, MOPH Virginia will announce the awarding of Citations of Honor to Virginia’s three state veterans cemeteries – the first state veterans cemeteries in America to receive this recognition.
"By establishing the nation's first Purple Heart Cemeteries, Virginia is once again leading the way. These cemeteries become more than places where heroes are laid to rest—they become places where their legacy begins, ensuring that their service and sacrifice continue to inspire future generations,” said MOPH Virginia Commander Ben King.
“Our three state veterans cemeteries are deeply honored to be the first in the nation to receive the Military Order of the Purple Heart’s Citations of Honor. This recognition reflects the unwavering respect we hold for our over 600+ Purple Heart recipients interred at our state veterans cemeteries and our commitment to ensuring their service and sacrifice are remembered with dignity,” added DVS Cemeteries Director Andre Logan.
For more information on Virginia’s Purple Heart Day Ceremony, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org or www.dvs.virginia.gov. For additional information about the Military Order of the Purple Heart, go to www.purpleheart.org
About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is a state government agency with more than 50 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia. DVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans. Today, DVS assists veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; provides veterans and family members with linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education, and other programs. The agency operates four long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; provides an honored final resting place for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries; and operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s tribute to Virginia’s men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.
About the Virginia War Memorial
The mission of the Virginia War Memorial is to Honor Veterans, Preserve History, Educate Youth, and Inspire Patriotism in All. Dedicated in 1956, the Memorial includes the names of the nearly 12,000 Virginia heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terrorism. The Virginia War Memorial is and will always be the Commonwealth’s tribute to those who served and most especially, to those who died defending our freedoms.
The Virginia War Memorial is a division of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and serves as an integral part of its mission in support of all Virginians who have served in our military. It is located at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220 and is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free, except for select events. For more information, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org.
About Virginia’s State Veterans Cemeteries
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) operates state veterans cemeteries in Amelia, Dublin, and Suffolk, which provide a final resting place for Veterans, National Guard Members, Reservists, Military Service members who died while serving on active duty, and their eligible family members. The Virginia Veterans Cemetery is in Amelia, the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, and the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk. All cemeteries accommodate in-ground burial of casketed remains, in-ground inurnment of cremated remains, and above-ground inurnment of cremated remains in a columbarium niche. For more information, please visit https://www.dvs.virginia.gov/veteran-cemeteries.