A Day to Honor America’s Combat Wounded and Fallen Heroes
By Executive Order 9277, dated December 3, 1942, the decoration was extended to be applicable to all services and required that regulations of the Services be uniform in application as far as practicable. This executive order also authorized the award only for wounds received.
PURPLE HEART RECIPIENTS
War I: 250,000¹
War II: 964,409
Korea: 136,936
Vietnam: 200,676
Persian Gulf: 590
Afghanistan: 3,495 *
Iraq: 34,808 *
Total Estimated: 1.7 M¹NOTE¹: Estimates only. Battlefield awards and incomplete records; 1974 fire in St. Louis repository.
*Data as of 6/20/2009