The Purple Heart is the American military’s oldest award dating back to the Revolutionary War. George Washington himself designed it, however, it was called the Badge of Military Merit. The badge was presented only a few times and the award went dormant until the 1900s. Gen. Douglas MacArthur eventually revived the award and created what we know today as the Purple Heart.  He is also one of the first Purple Heart recipients.

The Purple Heart is one of those military awards that most military members would be proud to receive, however, it isn’t an award anyone in uniform necessarily wants, because to receive it, an individual must be wounded or killed.

Most in the ranks consider themselves lucky if they become one of the millions of Purple Heart recipients that have been presented the medal and survived, but there are a handful of men who have been wounded in battle so many times, that they are well-known within the military culture as some of the toughest men to have ever worn the uniform.

In all, there is only one of these Purple Heart recipients that stands out with the most awards of the Purple Heart medal. The other seven Purple Heart recipients are tied with eight awards each.

1. Staff Sgt. Albert L. Ireland
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Albert Ireland is the U.S. service member awarded the most Purple Hearts not just in the Marine Corps, but in all U.S. military branches. Having served in World War II and later in the Korean War, Ireland was wounded in action nine times.

He is likely the most famous of Purple Heart recipients having served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. There, while serving as a machine gunner, he was wounded in combat five times. After WWII, he remained in the Marine Corps Reserve and was called back to service for the Korean War. Initially, regulations prevented him from serving in the war since he had been wounded more than twice, but Ireland applied for a waiver and received it.

He fought in Korea and went on to receive four more Purple Heart medals. His final injuries forced him out of military service. He went on to serve as a firefighter and died in 1997.

2. Lt. Col. Richard J. Buck
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Richard Buck was freshly graduated from West Point when he shipped to Korea in 1951. In the Korean War, Buck was wounded four times, earning four Purple Heart medals. He also earned the Combat Infantry Badge, a Silver Star for distinguished gallantry in action and three Bronze Star medals for distinguished heroism against an enemy.

However, like many on this list of Purple Heart recipients, he was not done. After the Korean War, Buck earned a graduate degree at Yale, bounced around in some high-level assignments and eventually found himself joining Special Forces. He then headed to Vietnam.

While in Vietnam, Buck was wounded four more times, bringing his Purple Heart total to eight. He also earned his second Silver Star for distinguished gallantry in action; four additional Bronze Star Medals (two for valor) for distinguished heroism against an enemy; four Air Medals for meritorious achievement beyond that normally expected, while participating in aerial flight; and the Army Commendation Medal for distinguished service. Buck retired in 1970. He died in 1989.

3. Maj. Gen. Robert T. Frederick
U.S. Army Major General Robert Frederick has the distinction of being the only general officer on this distinguished list of Purple Heart recipients. He was a founding member of the 1st Special Service Force in World War II, a unit in which he fought with in Italy, the Aleutian Islands, and North Africa.

Like many Purple Heart recipients from WWII, Frederick saw his fair share of combat with the 1st Special Service Force, and he was wounded several times. While fighting at Anzio he was wounded twice the same day. By the end of WWII, Frederick had received eight Purple Hearts, two Distinguished Service Crosses, and a Silver Star. He retired in 1952 and died in 1970.

In 1968, the movie, The Devil’s Brigade, was released. The actor William Holden played Frederick who was the unit’s commander. Frederick is considered by some to be the last general to actually fight in combat.

4. Col. David H. Hackworth
U.S. Army Colonel David Hackworth, affectionately known as “Hack,” was considered at one point in time the most decorated military veteran alive. He was also outspoken, and loved by most Joes, but he got mixed reviews from officers. He is best known for his epic book, About Face.

Hackworth came up the ranks the hard way. He was a battlefield commissioned officer having served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During the Korean War, Hack was awarded three Purple Heart medals.

He is on this list of Purple Heart recipients because after Korea, he returned to combat years later when he deployed to Vietnam. Like Korea, he served multiple tours in Vietnam. He would go on to earn another five Purple Heart medals, brining his total to eight Purple Hearts.

Hack is the only service member to ever be awarded the most Silver Stars; ten.

5. Capt. Joe Hooper
Hooper enlisted in the United States Navy in December 1956. After graduation from boot camp, he served aboard the USS Wasp and USS Hancock. He was honorably discharged in 1959 and about a year later he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman in 1960.

Hooper spent time in Korea and Panama before making his way to Vietnam. Eventually he deployed with the 101st Airborne Division and in 1968, Hooper’s heroic actions outside of Hue earned him the Medal of Honor and one of his first Purple Heart medals.

During his second tour in Vietnam, Hooper received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant, and he would go on to earn seven more Purple Heart medals, along with two Silver Stars, six Bronze Star medals for valor, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He is credited with 115 enemy killed in ground combat, 22 of which occurred in the battle that earned him the Medal of Honor. He became one of the most-decorated soldiers in the Vietnam War. He died in 1979.

6. Col. Robert L. Howard
Howard is one of four officers on this list to be promoted to the officer ranks directly from the enlisted ranks. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1956 and eventually found his way into Special Forces.

In 1967 Howard was assigned to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group in Vietnam. He spent four and a half years serving in Vietnam. He earned a Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross during those years.

In 1968, he earned the Medal of Honor and his first Purple Heart medal. He would get wounded seven more times before leaving Vietnam. He retired as a colonel in 1992. He died in 2009 in Waco, Texas.

7. Col. William L. Russell
Russell is the only National Guardsman on this Purple Hearts recipients list. He enlisted in the 153rd Infantry Regiment of the Arkansas National Guard during World War II and like others on this Purple Heart recipients list, he was the recipient of a direct commission.

During his time with the 83rd Infantry Division during World War II, Russell earned a Silver Star and was wounded eight times. After WWII, he returned to Arkansas, but was called up to participate in the Korean War. He retired from the military in 1965 as a colonel. He died in 2000.

8. Sgt. Maj. William Waugh
The second of two enlisted men on this Purple Heart recipients list, Waugh joined the U.S. Army in 1948 and eventually joined the special forces. He deployed to Vietnam in 1961 and went on to earn the Silver Star and his sixth Purple Heart.

Waugh retired in 1972, wounded twice more bringing his Purple Heart medal count to eight. He would continue his government service after his military retirement and he worked for the CIA, including a stint in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom at the age of 71.

Among U.S. Navy Commander David Schwind’s personal collection is a small box containing a Purple Heart medal posthumously awarded to U.S. Army Air Forces Lt. William Hatton, pilot of the B-24D Liberator Lady Be Good, which disappeared without a trace in the Libyan Desert April 4, 1943 while on its first combat mission.

“I had known about the story of the Lady Be Good since I was a kid and the story itself always fascinated me,” Schwind said. “And I just happened to get really lucky and happened to acquire the pilot’s purple heart in my personal collection and so obviously I had to write about it because this is one of the stories I grew up with. It really struck a chord with me through most of my life.”

The story of the Lady Be Good and her pilot and crew are among more than 300 profiles of military members from all branches of service in Schwind’s most recent book, Sacrifice Remembered: Posthumous Awards of the Purple Heart Medal in the Second World War.

The result of two years of research, Schwind brings together the stories of service members from the Army, Army Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Public Health Service, along with detailed color photos of their medals and accompanying documents to create the most complete reference book available on the Purple Heart and all U.S. valor medals of World War II.

“There are a lot of variations of Purple Hearts, and they range from whether it’s a Navy Purple Heart made by the U.S. Mint and engraved in a certain style or whether its is a Purple Heart made for the Army under contract by The Robbins Company of Massachusetts,” Schwind said. “Finding out how they were manufactured, and the different styles really raises the level of appreciation for the actual object. I like to make books that are the most value added possible, so I also included all the rest of the person’s medals earned, which means there are also up close and personal pictures of Medals of Honor, Silver Stars, Distinguished Service Crosses, Navy Crosses and more.”

Available on Amazon and through publisher Medals Press, the 593-page book is divided into five parts, including an introduction detailing the origin and history of the Purple Heart and thirteen chapters profiling awards by branch, theater, and battle, with separate chapters on awards to fallen prisoners of war, families that lost multiple children and non-Purple Heart posthumous awards of valor. The final chapter details the casualty process to notification of next of kin and contains photographs never previously published. Four appendices tailored for collectors, historians and researchers address Purple Heart award boxes and shipping containers, Purple Heart types and engraving styles, information on researching the history of Purple Hearts and one appendix lists the 14,379 known, traceable and identifiable numbered Purple Hearts. The remaining pages include bibliography, references and index.

“You don’t have to have earned a Purple Heart or to have even served in the military to really appreciate what it represents, the sacrifice that it represents,” Schwind said. “I wanted to convey those thoughts through the book and particularly to people who are collectors or historians who weren’t people who have served in the military. That’s really 85 to 90 percent of why I wrote the book, to say this medal that you’re holding in your hand is not just a collector’s item, this represents a person and the sacrifices they made for our country; to really convey the depth of what it represents and in particular the posthumous Purple Heart and what it meant as far as being the last tangible reminder of someone’s life on earth.”

In the course of his research, Schwind conducted interviews and photographed more than 1,700 Purple Hearts held by museums, historians and collectors and Gold Star families.

“As a historian, it was really amazing,” Schwind said. “Being able to go and share with the families the stories of what their family member had done during the war, what they had done to earn these awards, that was the emotional part of it. A number of times families teared up… the stories had been lost and I was able to convey to the families that what their family member did was literally heroic and, in some cases, it put a new respect for their dad’s, uncle’s or grandfather’s lives. That to me was worth everything I invested in writing the book.”

Retiring from the Navy in Norfolk on April 30, Schwind is currently working on a companion volume on posthumous Purple Heart Medals awarded post-Second World War.

“I honestly had enough Purple Hearts from the Second World War to do several volumes just from the Second World War, but it’s one of those things where time and money and everything else competes,” Schwind said. “That was tough because there were some really good stories that I wanted to include and unfortunately I just didn’t have room for them.

“Then what I decided to do was a second volume with the stories of men and women who have given their lives for our country from the Korean War all the way to the current Global War on Terror with Afghanistan, Iraq and quite a few in-between.” 

The in-person interviews with recently bereaved families are the most poignant, Schwind said.

“The amount of emotion that goes with those is something that you just can’t effectively convey,” Schwind said. “I’ve talked to a lot of families and I‘ve seen a lot of tears. They’ve been telling me the story of their loved one and it’s made me have an even deeper appreciation for what I’m writing about and made me want to honor them even more. It really drives home the importance of what the medal represents.”

DK McDonald is an award-winning Arizona-based writer. She comes from a multi-generational military family, spanning all branches of service. She is also a former Army spouse.

What does a Purple Heart mean?

The answer to that question depends a lot on who is asked. For many military personnel, a Purple Heart is an award that many want to avoid. While it is one of the most honorable awards presented to U.S. military personnel on behalf of the president of the United States, it is an indicator that a person was injured or killed during combat with an enemy of the United States. The circumstances to qualify for the award tend to be precarious.

Here are five facts you probably didn't know about the Purple Heart that might help you answer the question, what does a Purple Heart mean?

1. Automatic Entitlement
The Purple Heart is an award that military personnel are automatically entitled to if they meet the criteria. A wounded or killed service member is not recommended for the award much like a medal presented for achievement. For military personnel the question, what does a Purple Heart mean, is answered simply. The Purple Heart means that a U.S. military member exposed themselves to harm in service to their nation and in some cases, that service cost them their lives. Within the ranks of the U.S. military, the Purple Heart is revered and respected and for many it is reflective of the values military personnel live each day.

Some military personnel take for granted that most Americans know what the Purple Heart is, or there is an assumption that they should know because of the magnitude of the award. However, a common question amongst civilians is what does a Purple Heart mean? Let's look into the medal's background.

2. U.S. Military's First Medal
The first decoration or medal of the U.S. military was created in 1780 by the Continental Congress. It was called the Fidelity Medallion and it was created to recognize three Continental Army soldiers who captured British Army Major John André, the man who had worked with Benedict Arnold to betray the colonies. The Fidelity Medal, also known as the André Capture Medal, was presented to three soldiers who were members of the New York militia. Privates Isaac Van Wart, David Williams and John Paulding all received the award. The Fidelity Medallion was never again awarded and for this reason the Badge of Military Merit, which later became the Purple Heart, is considered the first military medal of the U.S. military. More clearly, it is the oldest U.S. military medal still awarded.

Non-veterans and people unassociated or unfamiliar with the U.S. military might ask what does a Purple Heart mean? The answer is in the country’s history.

3. Designed by Washington
In 1782, George Washington designed and created the Badge of Military Merit. Initially the award was to recognize meritorious military service. The decoration would be presented to soldiers who displayed gallantry in battle, but also fidelity in their service. The Badge of Military Merit was an award that was created by Washington for all soldiers and not just for officers who had been victorious in battle. Military protocols in the 1700s recognized officers mostly.

Enlisted soldiers Elijah Churchill, Daniel Bissell and William Brown were the first Continental Army soldiers to receive the Badge of Military Merit for their service in key Revolutionary War battles. But after the colonies earned their independence, the Badge of Military Merit became a dormant award for roughly 150 years. There were no real answers when someone asked what does a Purple Heart mean because the award was all but obsolete.

4. MacArthur Revived the Medal
In 1932, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Douglas MacArthur decided to breathe new life into the award to help commemorate the bicentennial of Washington’s birthday. MacArthur worked with the War Department and renamed the Badge of Military Merit; it became the Purple Heart because the Badge’s original configuration was a heart-shaped cloth. 

MacArthur helped design the Purple Heart Medal to look as we know it today. The medal has a purple ribbon and a heart-shaped medallion with the bust of Washington in the center. MacArthur would become the first person to receive the modern version of the Purple Heart. Military historians believe he awarded himself the medal retroactively for service in World War I. About 136 World War I veterans also received the initial award. What does a Purple Heart mean to those WWI veterans? That their sacrifices and the physical harm they endured for the nation was recognized.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt refined the rules for the Purple Heart by expanding eligibility of the award to other services and issuing a strict-criteria that the award only be awarded to those wounded or killed in combat. U.S. military members of any rank qualify for the award if they have been wounded or killed in action.

5. Millions have earned the medal
Today, when people ask what does a Purple Heart mean, Americans should know that roughly 1.8 million Purple Heart Medals have been awarded since it was created in 1932. The majority have been presented to men and women who have been wounded or killed in action.

For some U.S. military families, the question what does a Purple Heart mean has a special answer because their family members were either wounded in battle or have been killed in action. For them, August 7, Purple Heart Day in the United States, is a day unlike any other and they take time to pause and reflect on their wounded or killed family members.

The Purple Heart Medal is an award that can be bestowed multiple times to a single individual.

Service members can receive multiple Purple Heart Medals throughout their military careers. U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Albert Ireland was awarded the Purple Heart medal nine times over a 12-year period. He was wounded five times while serving in World War II and then received four additional wounds during the Korean War. Curry T. Haynes, a deceased Army veteran of the Vietnam War earned 10 Purple Hearts, according to the USO, but aside from a news article, the information is unverified.

Haynes received his first Purple Heart after being shot in the arm in an ambush and after surgery in Japan, he returned to his unit which was fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. During one battle, he would be wounded nine times by a variety of enemy weapons. The action cost him two fingers.