The Museum’s object collection contains hundreds of medals, and prominent among these is a large selection of Purple Hearts.  They are simple medals, but behind each of them is a story of heroism and sacrifice.  Here, we take a look at some of our Purple Hearts and how they were rewarded. The Purple Heart and its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, is awarded by the President to those killed or wounded while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  These stories detail over a million other similar ones of sacrifice -- sometimes the ultimate sacrifice -- that this special award represents.

To learn more about this patriotic exhibit, click here.