For Military Merit: Recipients of the Purple Heart

More than one million men and women have received the Purple Heart since its creation as an award “for military merit” in 1932. This book provides a brief history of the Purple Heart, with a focus on how the decoration’s award criteria have evolved over the last 75 years. The book then takes a representative look at Purple Heart recipients from all the services by conflict, starting with the Civil War and concluding with the on-going conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.