On May 3, 1783, General George Washington (above) awarded the
Badge of Military Merit to two brave Connecticut soldiers at the Continental Army headquarters in Newburgh, New York.

On this day in 1782, in Newburgh, New York, General George Washington,
the commander in chief of the Continental Army, creates the “Badge for
Military Merit,” a decoration consisting of a purple, heart-shaped piece of
silk, edged with a narrow binding of silver, with the word Merit stitched
across the face in silver (above). 

The badge was to be presented to soldiers for “any singularly meritorious
action” and permitted its wearer to pass guards and sentinels without
challenge. The honoree’s name and regiment were also to be inscribed in
a “Book of Merit.”

Washington’s “Purple Heart” was awarded to only three known soldiers
during the Revolutionary War: Elijah Churchill, William Brown and Daniel
Bissell, Jr. The “Book of Merit” was lost, and the decoration was largely
forgotten until 1927, when General Charles P. Summerall, the U.S. Army
chief of staff, sent an unsuccessful draft bill to Congress to “revive the
Badge of Military Merit.”

In 1931, Summerall’s successor, General Douglas MacArthur, took up the
cause, hoping to reinstate the medal in time for the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth. On February 22, 1932, Washington’s 200th birthday,
the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the “Order of the
Purple Heart” (below).

President Abraham Lincoln (above) signed into law a measure calling
for the awarding of a U.S. Army Medal of Honor (above) in the name
of Congress “to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall
most – distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other
soldier like qualities during the present insurrection.”

The first U.S. Army soldiers to receive what would become the nation’s 
highest military honor were six members of a Union raiding party who
in 1862 penetrated deep into Confederate territory to destroy bridges 
and railroad tracks between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Atlanta, 
Georgia.

In 1863, the Medal of Honor was made a permanent military decoration
available to all members, including commissioned officers, of the U.S.
military. It is conferred upon those who have distinguished themselves
in actual combat at risk of life beyond the call of duty.

Corporal Doss receiving the Medal of Honor from President Harry
S. Truman.

On this day in 1945, Army Private First Class Desmond T. Doss of Lynchburg,
Virginia, is presented the Congressional Medal of Honor for outstanding bravery
as a medical corpsman, the first conscientious objector in American history to
receive the nation’s highest military award.

Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006)

The true story of hero Desmond Doss was made into a 2016
movie.
 

President Trump presents the Medal of Honor to Army veteran
James McCloughan during a brief but poignant White House
ceremony .

(AP) – President Trump on Monday presented the Medal of Honor to an Army
veteran who 48 years ago repeatedly risked his live to save 10 fellow soldiers
during a deadly days-long fight along Vietnam’s central coast.

In recognizing James McCloughan, now a 71-year-old retired schoolteacher
from Michigan, Trump recounted a gripping tale of selflessness and bravery,
sliding off script occasionally to emphasize just how hellish the battle was and
to marvel that McCloughan and the other Americans who survived managed
to overcome such extraordinary odds.

“He was one of 32 who fought until the end,” the president said, glancing at
McCloughan, who stood stoically a few steps to Trump’s right, “and they held
their ground against more than 2,000 enemy troops. Jim, I know I speak for
everyone here when I say we are in awe of your actions and your bravery.”

Army Pfc. James McCloughan in front of the Vietnam Regional
Exchange Snack Shop, 1969.