A recent New York Times article reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette helped draw public attention to the fact the Pentagon is rethinking its definition of the concept of “sacrifice” and specifically the issue of “how to determine who qualifies for one of the military’s most emotionally resonant awards.”
At issue is the fact that since 1993, the prestigious medal has been awarded to military personnel wounded by friendly fire while intending to cause harm to an enemy. Some victims of friendly fire have been bestowed with the award; many others have not.
The Army apparently is making some adjustments that will widen the net of eligibility. But the issue is far from resolved.
The Purple Heart, awarded in the name of the President, is presented to service men and women who have been wounded or killed, while serving in the U.S. military on or after April 5, 1917. Including the tradition of its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, the Purple Heart is the oldest award for which military members are eligible.
The question of Purple Heart qualifications caused me to look deeper within the Minerd.com research archives for references to this honor, and to tally how many of our extended cousins had been wounded in military action since the 1917 date. Of the 17 Purple Heart awardees discovered, it’s impossible to know how many may have been a result of wounds from American weapons. Each of their web-bios provides as much detail as is known:
- Clarence Thomas Helterbran Sr. – family of Lydia (Turner) Heltebran Colosino
- Minor Fay White – family of Charles Minor White
- Chauncey Alston Bailey Sr. – family of Margaret (Minerd) Bailey
- Carl Henry Richter Sr. – family of Mary Ann (Miner) Richter
- Allen Baer – family of Mary (Minerd) Baer
- Cecil Minard – family of Dewitt Minard
- Markel Eugene Rose Sr. – family of William Rose
- James William Minerd – family of James W. Minerd
- Ray S. “Deacon” Leonard – family of Christmas Leonard
- Miles W. Fligger – family of Ulysses Grant Rose
- Wilbert Minerd – family of Walter Edgar Minerd
- Albert Nelson Richter – family of Lucy (Murray) Eicher
- David Lawrence Firestone Jr. – family of Grant Louis Firestone Sr.
- Glenn Ellsworth McKnight – family of William Stewart McKnight
- Ralph Lorenzo “Frecks” Minerd – family of Thomas Minerd
- Horace Delbert Dalton Sr. – family of George Riley Minard
- Albert Ray Minor – family of Charles Ray Minor
Some 16 other cousins are known to have been wounded in military service after April 5, 1917, but where a Purple Heart is not known or confirmed. They include:
- Charles Howard McKnight
- Cleveland S. Walters
- Warren Dempsey Younkin Sr.
- James Arthur Reese – family of Bertha (Minerd) Reese
- Joseph Firestone
- John Davis Kerfoot
- Perry McClain – family of Margaret (Hoye) McClain
- George Edward Rhome
- Charles Harrison Miner
- William Alfred Minerd
- George D. Krueger – family of Clarence Harvey Dean
- Donald D. Newcomer – family of John William “Emery” Younkin
- Clarence Warren “Bobby” Lytle
- Gifford Hatter – family of John Ross Miner
- James Alexander “Pug” Ellis – family of Alice (Minerd) Ellis Doughty
- Harold S. “Jabo” Fawcett – family of Robert Patterson Fawcett
If you can contribute more knowledge to this study, please contact me.
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