National Cemetery Administration

The Badge of Military Merit, the predecessor
to the Purple Heart.

Reintroduced in 1932 on the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth, it is estimated that over 1.9 million Purple Hearts have been awarded to servicemembers in the name of the President of the United States. It is ranked immediately behind the Bronze Star Medal and ahead of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal in order of precedence, and is one of the most recognized and respected honors awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Eligibility was limited. Those in possession of a Meritorious Service Citation Certificate could exchange it for the Purple Heart, or those authorized by Army regulations to wear wound chevrons could apply for the new decoration. The newly reintroduced Purple Heart was not intended primarily as an award for those wounded in action, as the wound chevron worn by a soldier on his sleeve already fulfilled that purpose, but authorizing the award in exchange for wound chevrons established the association of the award with injuries sustained in battle.

Army regulations specified the current design of the decoration as an enamel heart, purple in color and showing a relief profile of George Washington in Continental Army uniform within a quarter-inch bronze border. Above the enameled heart is Washington's family coat of arms between two sprays of leaves. On the reverse side, below the shield and leaves, is a raised bronze heart without enamel bearing the inscription "For Military Merit."

Obverse of the decoration.

Reverse of the decoration.

Existing records of the time show that General Washington personally awarded the Badge of Military Merit to three non-commissioned officers: Sergeant Daniel Bissell of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Line; Sergeant William Brown of the 5th Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Line, and Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Continental Dragoons, also a Connecticut regiment. Sergeants Brown and Churchill were the first recipients, awarded the Badge of Military Merit on May 3, 1783. Sergeant Bissell received the decoration one month later, on June 8, 1783.

Sergeants Bissell, Brown, and Churchill are all interred in private cemeteries. Installed during the early 1800s, their headstones require maintenance to preserve their story, like all monuments to history. NCA has launched a nationwide initiative to acknowledge and collaborate with community-led efforts to restore Veteran grave sites within historic private cemeteries. Together, NCA and community members share experiences and best practices for safely cleaning Veteran headstones and markers, and other restoration related work.

Learn more about NCA's cemetery restoration »