On August 7, American Legion Post 38 in Floresville, Texas, joins the Legion Family nationwide in observing Purple Heart Day, the anniversary of the Badge of Military Merit. General George Washington established that badge on August 7, 1782, at his headquarters in Newburgh, New York — a purple, heart-shaped piece of cloth or silk, edged with narrow lace, worn over the left breast. It was among the first American decorations open to enlisted soldiers as well as officers.
Washington meant the badge to honor unusual gallantry, extraordinary fidelity, and essential service. After the Revolution it fell into disuse. In 1932, on the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth, the War Department revived the decoration as the Purple Heart, with Washington's profile at its center. The criteria were later refined so that the medal is awarded to those wounded or killed by enemy action, and to those who suffer as prisoners of war.
Only three soldiers of the Revolutionary War are known to have received Washington's Badge of Military Merit: Sgts. Elijah Churchill, William Brown, and Daniel Bissell. The original cloth heart was worn over the left breast. Today the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, New York — a short distance from Washington's Newburgh headquarters — keeps the names and stories of those who have earned the modern medal.
The Purple Heart is not a campaign ribbon and not a mark of longevity. It records a wound received in action against an enemy of the United States, or death from such a wound. It has been awarded across every service and every conflict from the First World War to the present. Oak leaf clusters or gold stars mark additional awards. That is why the medal sits at the center of Purple Heart Day: it is a public accounting of what war costs a human body.
Post 38 does not publish a roster of members who have earned the Purple Heart, and we will not invent names here. We know, all the same, that among the Legion Family in Floresville and Wilson County are men and women who wear the medal and many more whose households have been reshaped by a wound, a recovery, or a loss. Purple Heart Day belongs to them, and to the families who learned the long work of care.
The American Legion was founded by veterans of the First World War. That charge continues at 1412 4th Street. When we gather for General Membership Meetings on the second Thursday of each month from 7 to 9 p.m., and when we welcome veterans to Tailgates on the third Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m., we do more than share a meal. A Buddy Check — a call, a visit, a simple question honestly asked — is one of the most practical honors we can pay to those who came home wounded in body or in spirit.
We encourage members and neighbors to make this observance useful. Bring a worn flag to the collection box at the Hall. Look in on a veteran you have not seen at a meeting. Share the story of the Badge of Military Merit with the Scouts of Troop 114, who meet at the Hall each Sunday from 4 to 5 p.m. Visit txlegion38.org for Post news. If you or a veteran you know is in crisis, dial 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.