It appears we have appointed our worst generals "It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers. In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strtegic defects fron the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly, I am readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and will, in turn, do my best for the Cause by writing editorials - after the fact." -Robert E. Lee, 1863 Purple Heart Hall marks anniversary New Windssor, N. Y.. (AP) - General George Washington created a heart-shaped award made from purple fabric as his battle-weary troops camped here 225 years ago. Since then, Purple Hearts have been awarded to roughly 1.5 million U. S. service ment and women wounded or killed in combat in such far off locations as the beaches of Normandy, the jungles of Vietnam, and now increasingly, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Washington ordered the creation of the Purple Heart's predecessor, the Badge of Military Merit, on August 7, 1782 as his army camped here on a bit of high land 50 mile north of New York City. The award, given for exceptional performance, inspired the introduction of the Purple Heart in 1932. The Purple Heart was later restricted to those "wounded in action against any enemy" starting in World War II. The Hall of Honor was opened to tell the stories of American Troops wounded or killed in action. The state-run attraction features a database that allows visitors to read about 77,000 Purple Heart recipients. From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 28,552 service members wounded and 3245 killed in action are eligible for the Purple Heart. Otha Jackson, an 82 year old World War II veteran who was shot in Manila in 1945, said the hall is important to honor all veterans' sacrifices. "We want to keep this going, these memories as long as we live," said Jackson. "People have a tendency to forget" |