Sgt. Elijah Churchill, 2nd Light Dragoons In the Fall of 1781, Sgt. Churchill led a raid against Fort Slongo, NY, and successfully destroyed artillery and munitions. For this act of singular leadership Churchill was presented by General Washington, with a heart shaped purple badge embroidered with the word "merit". Only three of these original awards have a record of being given. On February 22, 1932, the bicentennial of George Washington's birth, the Badge of Military Merit was redesigned and re-issued as the Purple Heart, a medal signifying wounded in service, as we know it today.
Sgt. Elijah Churchill, 2nd Light Dragoons
In the Fall of 1781, Sgt. Churchill led a raid against Fort Slongo, NY, and successfully destroyed artillery and munitions. For this act of singular leadership Churchill was presented by General Washington, with a heart shaped purple badge embroidered with the word "merit". Only three of these original awards have a record of being given.
On February 22, 1932, the bicentennial of George Washington's birth, the Badge of Military Merit was redesigned and re-issued as the Purple Heart, a medal signifying wounded in service, as we know it today.