TIM MAGUIRE

William Oliver Stone is 69 years old today.

As a teenager, Stone worked in the French Financial
Exchange. He then went into the U.S. Army and served
in Vietnam from June 1965 to 1968.

Davenie Johanna "Joey" Heatherton

Heatherton appeared in Bob Hope‘s USO troupe between 1965
and 1977. She also appeared in films like 1963’s Twilight of
Honor and 1964’s Where Love Has Gone. She took ballet
lessons as a child, which lead to her interest in performing
on Broadway. She began acting when she was a child with
her first role as an understudy on the Broadway play, The
Sound of Music.

Joey Heatherton follows as Bob Hope dances during a
1966 USO Christmas show in South Vietnam.

SANDY KOZEL

The initial Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established
by George Washington, then the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, by
order from his Newburgh, New York headquarters. The Badge of Military Merit was
only awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers. From then on as its legend grew;
so did its appearance. Although never abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again officially until after World War I.

The first Purple Heart, called a Badge of Merit, is depicted being awarded
by General George Washington.

The establishment of the Veterans Administration came in 1930 when
Congress authorized President Herbert Hoover to "consolidate and
coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans".  Brigadier
General Frank T. Hines, who directed the Veterans Bureau for seven
years, was named as the first Administrator of Veterans Affairs, a job
he held until 1945.

Dr. Charles Griffith, the VA’s second Medical Director, came from the
Public Health Service and Veterans Bureau. Both he and Hines were
the longest serving executives in VA’s history.

Frank T. Hines