FReeper Canteen ~ The Purple Heart Established 235 Years Ago ~ 07 August 2017

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The Whole World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~

The Purple Heart Medal … 235 Years Old!

Canteen Mission Statement

Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.

President Trump awarded a Purple Heart to Army Sgt. 1st Class Alvaro Barrientos on April 22 at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Barrientos was wounded last month in Afghanistan and lost part of his right leg.

The Purple Heart is an American decoration-the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first American award made available to the common soldier. It was initially created as the Badge of Military Merit by one of the world's most famed and best-loved heroes-General George Washington. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.

General Washington is often pictured as a cold, stern soldier, a proud aristocrat. Yet we know he showed sympathy and concern for his troops, and was not too proud to pray humbly on his knees for his beloved country and for the men who served it, and him, so bravely and loyally. His keen appreciation of the importance of the common soldier in any campaign impelled him to recognize outstanding valor and merit by granting a commission or an advance in rank to deserving individuals.

In the summer of 1782 he was ordered by the Continental Congress to cease doing so-there were no funds to pay the soldiers, much less the officers!

Deprived of his usual means of reward, he must have searched for a substitute. Shortly after receiving the "stop" order from Congress, he wrote his memorable General Orders of August 7, 1782, which read in part as follows:

"The General, ever desirous to cherish virtuous ambition in his soldiers as well as foster and encourage every species of military merit, directs that whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings, over his left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk edged with narrow lace or binding. Not only instances of unusual gallantry but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way shall meet with due reward. The name and regiment of the persons so certified are to be enrolled in a Book of Merit which shall be kept in the orderly room." The order further states: "Men who have merited this distinction to be suffered to pass all guards and sentinels which officers are permitted to do. The order to be retroactive to the earliest stages of the war, and to be a permanent one."

Washington ended his order with: "The road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is thus open to all."

Link here

After 150 years of disuse, The newly rediscovered description of the Badge of Merit from Washington's General Orders provided General John J. Pershing with an inspiration for a new decoration for “lesser" acts. In 1921, as the Army Chief of Staff, Pershing began organizing the revival of Washington's Badge. His effort was continued by his successor, General Charles Pelot Summerall.

After becoming the Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur finalized the renewal of the nation's oldest military decoration in 1932, just in time for the 200th Anniversary of Washington's birth.

MacArthur named the new award the "Purple Heart," rather than the Badge of Military Merit, and changed the definition of meritorious service to include combat wounds.

On February 22, 1932, the U.S. War Department created the Purple Heart decoration in the shape of a rich purple heart bordered with gold, with a bust of Washington in the center and Washington’s coat-of-arms at the top.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 8, 2007) - When Gen. George Washington created the Purple Heart Medal in 1872, he probably never envisioned it would be so huge. Literally.

Artist Roger Baker mowed a 1,000-foot long rendition of the medal, covering 850,000 square feet, into a field at Thomas Bull Memorial Park in Hamtonburgh, N.Y., near the town where the first awards were presented to Revolutionary War Soldiers. Mr. Baker said his creation is a "gift of art" to the American public.

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...better weather today?

Hope you finally got to explore the new “neighborhood”.

[left that other site]

The factories and foundries are gone, but there is still a dam with a herring ladder and a waterfall that goes under a granite arched bridge. It is in Hanover, MA

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

Beautiful thread celebrating the 235th anniversary of the Purple Heart.

[left that other site]

OMG the weather today was FANTASTIC. After hiking in the morning with Penny, I got on Blue and rode all the way to Plymouth, had supper at a Korean restaurant, and continued onward to White Horse Beach (Very “New England”) and then rode all the way back. Didn’t quite burn up a whole tank but probably went 70 miles round trip.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[radu]

Howdy, Pro.

Hope you’ve had a good day. Get all the mowing done for the week so you could kick back and relax?

[radu]

Howdy do, Conor. *HUGZ*

Nice that you resurrected your post from last year to add to this year’s anniversary thread. Beautiful!

Hope your Sunday was a good one. Did you take a break and relax? Maybe hang out on the patio grilling steaks? :-)

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Oof! A long day and night for your brother! He’s going to be whipped when he gets home.
Hope his visit with your mom put her in a better mood for the night.

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Radu!

*HUGS*

A good day here - no steaks on the grill this evening, we had crab-stuffed chicken breasts. Very tasty!

"I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces guarding our country and our way of life.
I am prepared to give my life in their defense."

[radu]

Glad it as a good day. Oo YUM! Those crab-stuffed chicken breasts sound mighty tasty! Any goodies from the garden included with the meal?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Ready to take on the new week?

[PROCON]

Hi radu!

HA, relaxation is my middle name!

Too hot still to do anything but hold-up with the A/C although I did go over and hangout with Son and the dogs for awhile this afternoon.

We're suppose to stay in triple digits for the next 10 days or so before maybe a cool off.

I'll do my early Monday morning errands tomorrow before the heat comes.

You and kittehs have a good Sunday? Your A/C holding out?

[Kathy in Alaska]

[radu]

Dang! You said it was going to stay in triple digits for 10 days a few days ago. They keep extending it! Ugh!

It was a bit steamy here today. Highs in the mid-80s but the humidity was higher. Had a couple of good rain showers this afternoon and it looks like we’ll get another round shortly.
A/C is working fine but it doesn’t cut the humidity very much.

A quiet day here for the most part. Quiet as can be expected with this “herd” when it’s close to the full moon. LOL! They’re feeling it big time this month.

I’m almost afraid to leave the house during the eclipse in a couple of weeks. No telling how they’ll behave then. But we’re driving up to Cookeville to watch it with my brother and S-I-L. They’re in the totality path and we’re a little ways out of it down here.

[PROCON]

Is the corn looking good? Ready for harvest soon?

We'll get a 96% eclipse here and the sky will be clear.

It's amazing, thousands of folks are flocking to central Oregon to watch it. I've seen eclipses before, just not that excited about it.

[Dapper 26]

To all my fellow Purple Heart awardees and patriots, thank you for your service, duty and sacrifices. God Bless you, God Bless President Trump and God Bless our AMERICA.

[radu]

The corn’s turning brown but that’s a good thing. It’s done. Now it dries out for the next several weeks. Not as pretty as when it’s dark green but the ears are nice and plump this year. Gonna be a good haul come harvest time this fall.

I’ve seen a couple of partial eclipses but never a total one. It’ll get pretty dark here at the farm but why stay here when we can drive a little over an hour and be in the totality path? And though we’ll have a little traffic to deal with on the way there, we won’t have a crush of people while we watch. My brother has a large back yard with no trees. He’s invited a few friends to join us and there’ll be plenty of elbow room. Won’t be the same in town, though, or elsewhere in TN along the path. It’s going to be crazy!

Just gotta hope for those clouds to stay away that day. Clouds are far too common here this time of year.

[FrdmLvr]

My dad is 92 years old and received a Purple Heart when he was 20 years old in the Battle of the Bulge. Thank you for this tribute, Kathy.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...an important acknowledgement for the recipients.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Great post! As good today as last year. Thanks!