The Order of the Purple Heart has a history that stretches back to the birth of this country.

        George Washington began the tradition in 1783, handing out purple ribbons with ivory hearts to three Revolutionary War soldiers. That list included Sgt. William Brown, who settled in Cincinnati after the war and is buried here.

        But none of hundreds of thousands killed and wounded in the United States' 19th-century wars received the Purple Heart.

        Gen. Douglas MacArthur revived it, with the approval of Congress and the War Department, in 1931. World War I combat veterans who had received an equivalent award were allowed to trade them in for Purple Hearts.

        Servicemen and -women are recommended by their superior officers for other medals, such as the Silver and Bronze Stars. But the Purple Heart is the only decoration that goes automatically to any soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who is wounded or killed in war.

        There are no solid numbers on how many Purple Hearts have been awarded since 1931.

        But in World War II, U.S. combat casualties totaled nearly 1 million. In Korea, there were 137,000 combat casualties, while during Vietnam, there were about 220,000.

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