Material: Gilt metal with purple enamel center
Size: 45mm (height) × 35mm (width)
Description: The decoration features a distinctive gold-toned, heart-shaped border framing a deep purple enameled center section. Positioned prominently in the center is a raised, golden profile bust of General George Washington in continental military attire facing toward the left. Crowned atop the main heart is the enameled Washington family coat of arms, which displays three red stars above two horizontal red stripes, flanked by two sprigs of green laurel leaves. The medal suspends cleanly from a matching purple silk grosgrain ribbon bordered by two stark white vertical edge stripes. The entire medal rests inside a dark blue leatherette display case accented with a gold-leaf wavy border running along the perimeter of the lid edges. The interior is lined with a soft, cream-colored velvet base insert contoured specifically to house the heart-shaped medal, while a dedicated recessed compartment at the top layout holds the matching miniature enameled lapel button pin.
Reverse: Engraved inscription FOR MILITARY MERIT within a gilt heart.
Circa: From 1932 to Present
Notes:
During World War II, the United States government manufactured approximately 500,000 Purple Heart medals in anticipation of massive casualties from the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland. Because the invasion never took place, this massive inventory created a surplus that lasted for decades. The military utilized this specific World War II stock to supply troops throughout the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and subsequent late-20th-century conflicts. The supply was so immense that some refurbished or re-ribboned pieces from that 1940s production run were still being awarded to service members well into the 2000s.
A few exceptional individuals have earned this somber distinction an astonishing number of times. Master Sergeant Curry T. Haynes holds the record for the most Purple Hearts awarded to a single individual, receiving ten separate medals for wounds sustained during his service in the Vietnam War. Additionally, the decoration has occasionally crossed species barriers in historical military lore. A famous Marine Corps mascot named Sergeant Reckless—a decorated pack horse who braved heavy enemy fire during the Korean War—was formally awarded two Purple Hearts alongside her official military rank.