Northwest Piedmont Supporters of Wounded Veterans

10/29/2026

Do you know a Purple Heart hero? Ensure their story of service and sacrifice lives on forever by having them enrolled in the National Purple Heart Roll of Honor. Click the link to complete the enrollment form: https://www.purpleheartmission.org/register-for-the-roll-of-honor.

To help ensure all our Purple Heart heroes are memorialized for generations to come, the Honor Mission and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor are building the Roll of Honor, the nation’s foremost repository of Purple Heart recipients and their stories.

10/15/2026

💜🇺🇸 ONE HEART. EVERY SERVICE.

By 1942, the Purple Heart had undergone a profound transformation.

It was becoming the decoration of wounds, loss, and sacrifice

But there was still a problem.

The Purple Heart belonged primarily to the United States Army

That meant an Army Soldier wounded by enemy fire could receive the Purple Heart — while a Sailor or Marine suffering the same sacrifice might not.

World War II made that distinction impossible to ignore.

After Pearl Harbor and America's entry into the war, service members from every branch were fighting, bleeding, and dying across the globe.

On December 3, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9277.

With that action, Purple Heart eligibility was extended to members of the:

⚓ U.S. Navy
🦅 United States Marine Corps
⚓ United States Coast U.S. Coast Guard

The Purple Heart was no longer simply an Army decoration.

It was becoming a symbol of sacrifice shared across America's Armed Forces.

Then the story continued.

When the United States Air Force became an independent military service in 1947, Airmen became eligible for the Purple Heart.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman went even further, extending Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard eligibility retroactively to April 5, 1917, allowing qualifying World War I veterans to receive the recognition that history had previously denied them.

And when the United States Space Force was established in 2019, no new authorization was required.

Guardians were already covered.

Think about what that means.

A Soldier in Europe.

A Marine on an island in the Pacific.

A Sailor aboard a ship under attack.

A Coast Guardsman in harm's way.

An Airman flying into hostile skies.

And today, a Guardian serving in America's newest military branch.

Different uniforms.

Different missions.

Different generations.

But when enemy action leaves its mark, the meaning of the Purple Heart is the same.

💜 Sacrifice does not belong to a branch.

It belongs to the men and women willing to serve beneath the same flag.

One Nation.
One sacrifice.
One Purple Heart.

🇺🇸 Next: The Purple Heart After World War II — How the Medal Continued to Evolve.

10/12/2026

Thank you Knights Of Columbus and all your volunteers at the Holy Family Catholic church for your fundraising dinner today on our behalf. We are grateful for the donation. 💜

10/11/2026

Another loss of one of our Purple Heart veterans. Rest in peace Mr Farris 💜

View Jackie Dean Farris's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

10/06/2026

We have lost one of our Purple Heart Heroes. Sweet Mr. James Caudill.
Attended every banquet we've had.
Rest in peace Sir. It was always an honor to see you. We can't forget our Heroes. 💜

10/04/2026

💜 FROM MERIT TO SACRIFICE: HOW THE PURPLE HEART CHANGED IN WORLD WAR II 🇺🇸

When the Purple Heart was revived in 1932, it could recognize both meritorious service and wounds received in action.

World War II changed that.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the enormous losses that followed, the meaning of the Purple Heart began to shift dramatically.

On April 28, 1942, the Army authorized posthumous Purple Hearts for Soldiers killed in action or who died from wounds received in action on or after December 7, 1941. National Archives

That was a major change.

The Purple Heart was no longer only recognizing the living.

it could now be presented in recognition of the ultimate sacrifice.

Another change followed as the newly created Legion of Merit assumed the role of recognizing meritorious service. The practice of awarding the Purple Heart for merit was discontinued, leaving the Purple Heart increasingly connected to wounds received in combat.

Then, on December 3, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9277, extending Purple Heart eligibility beyond the Army to those serving with the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard who were wounded by enemy action. The order also authorized posthumous awards for those killed in action or who died from such wounds.

The transformation was becoming clear.
1932 — Merit and wounds

1942 — Wounds, death, and sacrifice

The Purple Heart had evolved from an award that could recognize exceptional service into something far more solemn:

A decoration tied directly to the price of war.

💜 The Purple Heart was becoming the Medal of Sacrifice.
And from that point forward, its meaning would become inseparable from those wounded or killed by enemy action.

🇺🇸 Next: The Purple Heart Across the Services.

09/26/2026

09/15/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Tz4WYnJh/

💜 THE FIRST TO WEAR IT 🇺🇸

The Badge of Military Merit had been created.

Now someone had to earn it.

On May 3, 1783, at Newburgh, New York, Sergeants Elijah Churchill and William Brown became the first known Soldiers to receive George Washington’s newly created Badge of Military Merit.

Both had distinguished themselves through extraordinary courage.

Sergeant Elijah Churchill, of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, had demonstrated exceptional leadership during daring attacks against British positions on Long Island.

Sergeant William Brown, of the Connecticut Continental Line, had shown remarkable gallantry during the Battle of Yorktown, helping lead an assault against British defenses during one of the decisive actions of the Revolutionary War.

A third Soldier would soon join them.

On June 10, 1783, Sergeant Daniel Bissell Jr. received the Badge of Military Merit for extraordinary service as an intelligence operative. Bissell had spent more than a year posing as a deserter while gathering information from inside British-held territory — a mission in which discovery could have meant ex*****on as a spy.

Three Soldiers.

Three extraordinary stories.

And the beginning of a tradition that would eventually become the Purple Heart.

What makes their story even more significant is that Washington created the award specifically to recognize deserving enlisted Soldiers — a remarkable departure from European military traditions of the era, where such distinctions were largely reserved for officers.

More than two centuries later, their names remain connected to one of America's most recognized symbols of military service and sacrifice.

💜 Churchill. Brown. Bissell.

Remember their names.

They stood at the beginning of the Purple Heart story.

🇺🇸 Honor the history. Remember the service. Preserve the legacy.

09/15/2026

Teach your children well............

Patriotism is not a part of our DNA — it must be learned. A healthy patriotism is rooted in a willingness to serve a cause larger than the self. It is demonstrated in the ability to sacrifice one’s own comforts, even one’s own needs for the greater good of others. This is at the heart and core of military service. Those who serve the nation, who lay their lives on the line for the defense of the nation, for the security of its people are the embodiment of healthy patriotism.

05/07/2026

We love our Jeep folks.
Come out in support and we'll give you a duck!
(While supplies last) 💜🦆🚗