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Article: The Purple Heart: Separating Fact from Fiction
- Article from:
- VFW, Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Feb 2004. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Here is everything you ever wanted to know about America's wound medal.
As of January 2004, some 360 Americans had been killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 2,500 have been wounded in these theaters of fighting. Consequently, the Purple Heart is once again being awarded to Americans in uniform. So now is a good time to take a quick look at America's oldest military decoration-and separate the myths from facts.
Myth #1: There are few real differences between Gen. George Washington's Badge of Military Merit and today's Purple Heart medal.
Fact: Except for a similarity in appearance, and the inspiration of the former in creating the latter, they are very different. Established ...