Posted on 08/08/2006 5:45:55 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT HOOD, Texas (Army News Service, Aug. 8, 2006) – The Purple Heart Medal will have its own monument at the 1st Cavalry Division Museum at Fort Hood next month. The announcement came on Purple Heart Day, Aug. 7.
In its 85-year history, thousands of First Team Soldiers have earned the Army’s oldest medal. Nearly 2,000 Purple Hearts were awarded during the division’s last rotation to Iraq.
“This monument on the museum grounds will give units a nice, shaded area to hold ceremonies,” said Carrie Cutchens, a museum staff member and collection specialist.
The monument is slated for dedication during a Sept. 13 ceremony that will also mark the division’s 85th anniversary and the museum’s 35th anniversary. It will be made of marble and stand approximately 8 feet tall near the center of the museum grounds. A 1-by-6 base will contain holes for six flags or guidons.
Steven Draper, museum director, said he also plans to unveil some renovations to the museum’s main galleries Sept. 13. The main galleries cover the history of division units from 1855 to its deployment to Bosnia in 1998.
“We’re making the best attempt we can to incorporate so much history in a very small area,” Draper said, adding that a small area is being set up for revolving exhibits. “We’re hoping that in the future we’ll see a larger facility to house it all.”
The monument is a donation from Phipps Memorial, the company that built the division’s Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial, located on the east end of Cooper Field.
The original Purple Heart award was instituted by George Washington in 1782, rewarding troops for “unusual gallantry” and “extraordinary fidelity and essential service.” Called the “Badge for Military Merit,” the award was a purple cloth heart edged in silver braid, and was worn over the left breast on the uniform.
The Purple Heart, as we know it today, was reestablished in 1932 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of America’s first president.
Honoring those who wear the scars of war and turmoiol.
Our son's unit was attached to the 1st. Cav. in Iraq for awhile - awesome guys he always said. God bless 'em all!
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