A Memorial Day ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Purple Heart medal is set for New York's Hudson Valley. WAMC’s Tristan O’Neill reports…
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor says the event will feature the presentation of Purple Hearts to two veterans.
The event is Monday afternoon in New Windsor, near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
The first Purple Hearts were awarded to 138 World War I veterans in 1932, the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. Washington created a rarely-awarded Badge of Military Merit that took the form of a purple heart.
The modern-day medal is awarded for death or injury in combat.
The event will also include the West Point Band's field music group, The Hellcats, an artillery demonstration and a cannon salute to fallen service members.
Tristan O’Neill, WAMC News.
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