On August 7, 1782, General George Washington created a “Badge for Military Merit,” the Purple Heart. During the Revolutionary War, the badge was given only three times and then it was forgotten. Finally in 1931, the U.S. War Department revived it and announced the creation of the “Order of the Purple Heart.” In its present form, it is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who have been killed or wounded in action against an enemy or those who have suffered as prisoners of war.
