Aug. 7 is National Purple Heart Appreciation Day and marks the anniversary of the oldest military award still presented.Gen. George Washington established the Purple Heart medal in 1782 to recognize the heroism of enlisted soldiers. From USO.com, the Purple Heart medal is presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military. A Purple Heart is a solemn distinction and means a service member has greatly sacrificed themselves or paid the ultimate price while in the line of duty. According to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, more than 1.8 million Purple Heart medals have been presented to service members since the award was created.World War II saw the first two women receive a Purple Heart. According to the USO, in 1942, U.S. Army Lt. Annie Fox became the first woman to receive a Purple Heart for her heroic actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fox, who was serving as the chief nurse at Hickam Field, Hawaii, remained calm throughout the attack on Pearl Harbor and her hospital, and successfully directed hospital staff to tend to the wounded as they came in from the harbor.Cordelia ìBettyî Cook was the first woman to receive both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. From USO.com, in 1943, Cook, who served as a combat nurse during World War II, sustained shrapnel wounds while working at a field hospital on the Italian front. Despite her injuries, Cook continued to work and was later commended with both awards for her heroic actions.A few animals have unofficially received a Purple Heart, including, according to the ìThe Washington Post,î five dogs, two pigeons and a horse.In World War I, a dog named Stubby was smuggled into France and would unofficially become the first dog to receive a Purple Heart. From ct.gov, in October 1917, when the 102nd Infantry unit shipped out for France, Stubby was smuggled aboard the troop ship S.S. Minnesota in an overcoat. In April 1918, the Americans and the 102nd Infantry participated in the raid on the German held town of Schieprey. As the Germans withdrew, they threw hand grenades at the pursuing allies.Stubby got a little over enthusiastic and found himself on top of a trench when a grenade went off and he was wounded in the foreleg. In the Argonne, Stubby ferreted out a German Spy in hiding and holding on to the seat of his pants kept the stunned German pinned until the soldiers arrived to complete the capture. At the end of the war, Stubby was smuggled back home in much the same way as he entered the war, to sail home and muster out with the rest of the regiment.A Marine horse, dubbed Reckless, earned a Purple Heart for her actions during the Korean War. According to the History website, the Recoilless Rifle Platoon of the 5th Marines attempted to repel a Chinese assault on March 27, 1953. All day long, their equine Marine traversed the ìsmoking, death-pocked rubbleî to deliver fresh ammunition along with a badly needed boost of morale. She traveled alone on 51 round trips through no-manís land filled with rice paddies, and scaled a 45-degree incline. The mighty mare lugged six rounds of ammo, then eight, at a time up the mountain and evacuated wounded Marines back down the slope for medical treatmentó even after sustaining two shrapnel wounds that would earn her a pair of Purple Hearts. On one trip, Reckless even donned flak jackets and shielded four Marines up the mountain. She was promoted to sergeant on April 10, 1954, becoming the only animal ever awarded an official rank in the Marine Corps.
