A Guide to the Most Purple Hearts Awarded in Each Conflict

While there is no official record of every Purple Heart medal presented to an American Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman or Coast Guardsman, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor estimates nearly two million Purple Heart medals awarded to worthy American service members since the military decoration was established in 1932. Of course, the awarding of the Purple Heart has occurred over a period of more than 200 years, with the very first Purple Heart awarded during the American Revolutionary War. The most recent have been awarded to American service members killed or wounded in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Please note the numbers listed below are an estimate of awardees during a specific military conflict.

The Purple Heart award was originally established by George Washington in 1782 and then designated as the Badge of Military Merit. It is thought that only three soldiers were ever awarded the Badge of Military Merit during the American Revolutionary War—Sergeant William Brown of the 5th Connecticut Regiment of the Connecticut Line, Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons and Sergeant Daniel Bissell of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment of the Connecticut Line. All three personally received the badge from General Washington himself in 1783.