The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located along New York State Route 300 in the Town of New Windsor, New York, United States. It is less than two miles south of the Town of Newburgh line and not far from the City of Newburgh. It is a Purple Heart national registry of military personnel that have been injured or killed during combat. In 1782, at Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site, his headquarters in the City of Newburgh, George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit to be given to enlisted men and non-commissioned officers for meritorious action. The museum is located at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, the last encampment of the Continental Army. It is the first and currently only museum dedicated to a U.S. military medal.
On May 12, 1995, an article appeared in a Newburgh, N.Y. newspaper about the intent to build a Purple Heart museum in Enfield, CT. The article prompted Cornwall, N.Y. resident Patric Morrison to write a letter-to-the-editor, explaining why the museum should be located in the Newburgh area. Morrison contended that events at historic Washington's Headquarters/New Windsor Cantonment justified development of a Purple Heart facility at that site. Everett Smith, Publisher of the New Windsor Sentinel newspaper, agreed and became an advocate for the project.
On August 7, 1782, while at his Newburgh headquarters, Gen. George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit. This award was to recognize "singularly meritorious action" by enlisted soldiers, marking the first time that soldiers below the rank of officer were so honored. Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Continental Dragoons, Sergeant William Brown of the 5th Connecticut Continental Line Infantry, and Sergeant Daniel Bissel of the 2nd Connecticut Line Infantry were summoned to Washington's Headquarters in the spring of 1783 to be awarded the Badge. After the Revolutionary War, the Badge fell into disuse until 1932 when it was revived, redesigned, and renamed the Purple Heart by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to honor the memory of George Washington on his 200th birthday. On May 28, 1932, one-hundred-thirty-seven World War I Army veterans who had served meritoriously received the first Purple Hearts at the New Windsor Cantonment, the final encampment of the Continental Army. In 1942, by Executive Order, President Franklin Roosevelt expanded award of the Purple Heart to include all branches of military service, and approved posthumous award for any military service member killed in combat on or after December 6, 1941. The Purple Heart now honors any member of U. S. military forces wounded, killed, or who died of wounds while serving under competent military authority in any capacity, retroactive to April 5, 1917.
Mr. Morrison's letter, and the Sentinel newspaper article, caused the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) to pursue development of an appropriate facility at New Windsor Cantonment to commemorate the history of the Purple Heart and to recognize all recipients. The name, Purple Heart Hall of Honor, was chosen. The Commission's Deputy Director, Kenneth Krieser, who had been awarded a Purple Heart as a result of combat duty in Vietnam, presented the PIPC plan at an annual conference of the Military Order of the Purple Heart in Norfolk, VA, winning support of its members and affirming that the name would become the "National" Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
Sentinel newspaper Publisher Everett Smith, Lt. Gen. James D. Hughes, USAF (ret.), New York State Senator William Larkin, and Veterans advocate Joseph Farina formed The Genesis Group in support of developing the Hall of Honor. Together, they worked for eleven years to help achieve this worthy goal.
On May 24, 2002, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (New York) announced that she had introduced a resolution (S. Con. Res. 113) to support efforts to create a National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
New York State committed $4.1 million toward the planning, design, and construction of the Hall of Honor. Other financial support included $500,000 from the Military Order of the Purple Heart, $402,000 in federal HUD/VA funds, and many donations from veterans and their families. The Hall of Honor was dedicated by NY Governor George Pataki on November 10, 2006. Subsequently, additional funds have been provided to improve and expand the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, including $17 million authorized in 2019 by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The mission of the Hall of Honor is to collect and preserve the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across generations in an attempt to ensure that all recipients are represented. Their stories are preserved and shared through a series of exhibits, live and videotaped interviews with veterans themselves, and the Roll of Honor, an interactive computer program detailing the stories of each individual.
In December 2020, the United States Congress passed Public Law 116-247, "To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor." The law provides for the minting of up to 50,000 gold $5 coins, 400,000 silver dollar coins, and 750,000 clad half-dollar coins combined in proof and uncirculated versions. Any profits raised from the sales of these coins will be donated to the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, Inc. to further its mission. [1]
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth, the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York.
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia after the war's outbreak. The Continental Army was created to coordinate military efforts of the colonies in the war against the British, who sought to maintain control over the American colonies. General George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and maintained this position throughout the war.
New Windsor is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 27,805 at the 2020 census. It is located on the eastern side of the county and is adjacent to the Hudson River and the City of Newburgh.
Newburgh is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh metropolitan area. Located 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City, and 90 miles (140 km) south of Albany on the Hudson River within the Hudson Valley Area, the city of Newburgh is located near Stewart International Airport, one of the primary airports for Downstate New York.
The Badge of Military Merit was an award for non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Continental Army. It is largely considered America's first military decoration, and the second oldest in the world. Non commissioned officers and soldiers of the Continental Army were eligible. Now known as the Purple Heart Medal, it was redesigned and re-commissioned in 1932 by General Douglas MacArthur in honor of George Washington’s bicentennial.
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Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site, also called Hasbrouck House, is located in Newburgh, New York, United States, overlooking the Hudson River. George Washington and his staff were headquartered in the house while commanding the Continental Army during the final year and a half of the American Revolutionary War; at 16 months and 19 days it was his longest tenure at any of his headquarters during the war.
Daniel Bissell was a soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Bissell joined the British Army for 13 months and passed intelligence information to the Continental Army. For his efforts, Bissell was awarded the Badge of Military Merit by General George Washington.
New York State Route 300 (NY 300) is a state highway located west of the city of Newburgh in the Hudson Valley of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at a five-way intersection with NY 32 and NY 94 in the hamlet of Vails Gate. From there, it runs generally northwesterly through the towns of New Windsor, Newburgh, and Shawangunk, to a junction with NY 208 near the hamlet of Wallkill. NY 300's two major changes of direction are marked by slightly unorthodox intersections with other state highways.
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The New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, also known as New Windsor Cantonment, is located along NY 300, north one mile of Vails Gate, in the Town of New Windsor, Orange County, New York. The site features a reconstruction of the Continental Army's final military encampment.
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