FReeper Canteen ~ The Purple Heart Medal...239 Years Old! ~ 09 August 2021

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

[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~

The Purple Heart Medal … 239 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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[SkyDancer]

~ Good Evening ~

~ Hai Kathy! Good Evening! ~

~ Good Evening ~

~ Welcome To My World ~

I’m Down There Somewhere

[mountainlion]

245 years ago a first cousin 6 times removed was killed in the battle of Long Island. He was luckier than most as he was buried at home but the rest of the troops were buried in a mass grave by the British and they were never found. They predated the Purple Heart.

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

August 9

Fearless Love

Bible in a Year:

• Psalms 77–78
• Romans 10

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

1 John 3:14

There are some images so powerful they can never be forgotten. That was my experience when I viewed a famous photograph of the late Princess Diana of Wales. At first glance, the captured scene looks mundane: smiling warmly, the princess is shaking the hand of an unidentified man. But it’s the photograph’s story that makes it remarkable.

On April 19, 1987, when Princess Diana visited London Middlesex Hospital, the United Kingdom was engulfed in a wave of panic as it confronted the AIDS epidemic. Not knowing how the disease—which often killed with terrifying speed—was spread, the public at times treated AIDS victims like social pariahs.

So it was a stunning moment when Diana, with ungloved hands and a genuine smile, calmly shook an AIDS patient’s hand that day. That image of respect and kindness would move the world to treat victims of the disease with similar mercy and compassion.

The picture reminds me of something I often forget: freely and generously offering the love of Jesus to others is worth it. John reminded early believers in Christ that to let love wither or hide in the face of our fear is really to live “in death” (1 John 3:14). And to love freely and unafraid, filled and empowered with the Spirit’s self-giving love, is to experience resurrection life in all its fullness (vv. 14, 16). 

Reflect & Pray

When are you most prone to let fear stifle your love for others? How can you grow in experiencing and sharing the Spirit’s boundless love within those fearful places?

God of love, You are love, and to live in love is to live in You. I long to live with that kind of fearless, joyous love. Fill me with Your Spirit, and carry me ever deeper into Your love, until fear dissolves and Your love flows freely through me.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Janey...((HUGS))...enjoying home and good weather? Any parachute planes?

We are finally getting some rain...at least a half inch here. We are grateful, and hoping for lots more.

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, mountainlion...we thank all of them for their service to our country.

[lightman]

Caption of the mowed medal:

“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.”

I think the date has two digits transposed...1782, not 1872.

George would have been pretty old otherwise....LOL

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ The Purple Heart Medal...239 Years Old! ~

FR 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.

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[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

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

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Nice to see it’s been raining up there today. ‘Bout time!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[SkyDancer]

Hai Kathy! (((HUGS))) I’m at my 100 hours for thirty days of flying so I’m kicking back and will partner with another pilot and do the skydiving thing. More laid back and the $$$ is good. (not that I’m mercenary, nah).

[Kathy in Alaska]

OOPS! The writer could have used a proofreader, and I should have caught it in the excerpt. Fixed!

Good job!!

[mountainlion]

Stay out of the smoky skies!

[SkyDancer]

We stay on the west side of the Cascades mostly over Snohomish county.

[Kathy in Alaska]

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

All rested and you and Mrs Mayor ready to take on the new week?

[SkyDancer]

PS: Thanks!

[Bigg Red]

If you can swing it, I highly recommend a visit to the Purple Heart Museum New York State’s Hudson River Valley area. They have one of Washington’s original Purple Hearts.

https://www.thepurpleheart.com/

[luvie]

Honoring The Brave Heroes
Who Were Awarded
This Exemplary Medal