National Purple Heart Hall of Honor

National Purple Heart Hall of Honor The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is a New York State facility whose mission is to collect, preserve & share the stories of Purple Heart recipients.

The Roll of Honor database is an electronic database of Purple Heart recipients representing all 50 states , Puerto Rico, Guam and the Phillippines. The Roll of Honor also commemorates recipients from the Civil War through Afghanistan. This database represents a fraction of the estimated 1.8 million recipients it is believed there have been since the award was established in 1932. The Roll of Honor continues to grow as new enrollments are received daily.

15 YEARS AGO TODAY: 28 August 2011Technical Sergeant Angela K. Biggs - U.S. Air ForceTech. Sgt. Biggs served with the 63...
08/28/2026

15 YEARS AGO TODAY: 28 August 2011
Technical Sergeant Angela K. Biggs - U.S. Air Force
Tech. Sgt. Biggs served with the 633rd Surgical Operations Squadron in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom as an NCO in charge of women’s health. On 28 August 2011 her Forward Operating Base (FOB) was hit with a 400-pound vehicle-borne IED. She later recalled the incident:
“I saw the ground lift up in slow-motion, coming toward me like a tidal wave…Then, everything around me started shattering and blowing up… The blast went right through me…It felt like I had ruptured my eardrum. I couldn’t hear anything. It knocked me to the ground. I couldn’t see. There was smoke and dust everywhere. All I could remember thinking was, ‘are we under attack.’…Even though it all happened so fast, it felt like an eternity went by… I kept telling myself ‘you’ve got work, you’ve got to do what you’ve been practicing.’…”
Despite her wounds, Tech. Sgt. Biggs ran to the aid of others injured in the explosion as well as tended to the wounded at the FOB’s casualty collection point.
Angela K. Biggs is a featured recipient in the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor’s exhibits.
Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission

60 YEARS AGO TODAY: 23 August 1966 VIETNAMLance Corporal Frank J. Domenicucci, U.S. Marines:“ I was on a search and dest...
08/23/2026

60 YEARS AGO TODAY: 23 August 1966 VIETNAM
Lance Corporal Frank J. Domenicucci, U.S. Marines:

“ I was on a search and destroy patrol outside of DaNang, Vietnam. We entered a village that was mined and booby-trapped. We received fire from inside the village as we proceeded into and through the village. Fellow Marines and myself were injured by the mines and traps. I was severely wounded when I stepped on a mine. I received my last rights and was air lifted to DaNang.

I spent two years in the naval hospital recovering from severe wounds. I was Medically Retired from the USMC in 1972. While in the naval hospital, my commanding officer presented me with the Purple Heart."

Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

WORLD WAR II: U.S. COAST GUARDFireman 3rd Class Joseph R. Toahy or "LE-TUTS-TAKA" (meaning "White Eagle") was a Native A...
08/18/2026

WORLD WAR II: U.S. COAST GUARD
Fireman 3rd Class Joseph R. Toahy or "LE-TUTS-TAKA" (meaning "White Eagle") was a Native American of both Pawnee and Kiowa descent.
He was serving aboard the transport USS McCawley (AP 10) which was supplying the Marines on Guadalcanal. He was then assigned to Naval Operating Base (NOB) "Cactus," a shore based organization which was tasked with ferrying supplies and replacements from the transports to Guadalcanal. During August 1942 the Japanese frequently shelled Guadalcanal, including NOB Cactus. During one such shelling Toahty and seven others took shelter in a foxhole. Their foxhole took a direct hit from a Japanese shell killing all but Toahty and one other in the explosion. Fireman Toahty received treatment for his wounds and returned to duty serving on Guadalcanal until January 1943. It would not be until 1984, that he finally received his Purple Heart for wounds received that day.

Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

08/15/2026

NOTICE:
The Hall of Honor currently has no telephone service. Our email works fine and you can reach us at: [email protected].
We apologize for the inconvenience

60 YEARS AGO TODAY 11 August 1966Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Mark D. McKenney, U.S. Coast Guard, VietnamMaster Chief Boatswa...
08/11/2026

60 YEARS AGO TODAY 11 August 1966
Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Mark D. McKenney, U.S. Coast Guard, Vietnam
Master Chief Boatswain's Mate McKenney (then Gunner's Mate 2nd Class) writes,

"While on patrol just south of the DMZ in the South China Sea we became the victims of a (un)friendly fire incident. We were illuminated by U.S. aircraft and repeatedly strafed & bombed by 4 other U.S. Air Force planes killing our CO & an engineer. This incident occurred early morning, 11 Aug 1966 while operating under Coast Guard Squadron one division 12..."

Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

PURPLE HEART APPRECIATION DAY: 244 YEARS AGO TODAYWriting from his headquarters at the Hasbrouck House in Newburgh NY, G...
08/07/2026

PURPLE HEART APPRECIATION DAY: 244 YEARS AGO TODAY
Writing from his headquarters at the Hasbrouck House in Newburgh NY, George Washington’s General Orders for August 7, 1782 created the Badge of Military Merit. It was to be a purple colored, heart shaped piece of cloth or silk, awarded for “singularly meritorious acts” and was the predecessor for the modern Purple Heart. The award was available only to enlisted personnel and conferred on the wearer the right to pass guards and sentinels as could any officer.
Washington wanted this to be a permanent award, but it fell into obscurity at the end of the Revolution. It took 150 years to make the award permanent, albeit with a different name: The Purple Heart.

Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission

HAPPY 236th  BIRTHDAY TO THE U.S. COAST GUARD! Established as the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790 it has been known as th...
08/04/2026

HAPPY 236th BIRTHDAY TO THE U.S. COAST GUARD!

Established as the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790 it has been known as the U.S. Coast Guard since 1915. From World War I forward, Coast Guard personnel have participated America’s wars…and have sacrificed as have their fellow service personnel in the other branches of service. The recipients below represent the Coast Guard Purple Heart recipients across the 20th and 21st centuries.
Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE U.S. AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRDS!Members of the Thunderbirds team took time out of their schedule to ...
07/31/2026

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE U.S. AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRDS!
Members of the Thunderbirds team took time out of their schedule to come to the Hall of Honor today, July 31st 2026 for a “meet and greet”. They are here for the New York Air show taking place this weekend.
It was a wonderful visit, and we very much appreciated the team coming here.
We also want to thank those of you who came out to meet the team members. It was a positive, upbeat morning and a great way to start the weekend.

Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

73 YEARS AGO TODAY: 27 July 1953KOREAN WAR ARMISTICEAt 10:00 p.m. 27 July 1953, an armistice ended the fighting of the K...
07/27/2026

73 YEARS AGO TODAY: 27 July 1953
KOREAN WAR ARMISTICE

At 10:00 p.m. 27 July 1953, an armistice ended the fighting of the Korean War. It remains an Armistice to this day as no treaty has been signed actually ending the War. Both sides occupied essentially the same ground as they had occupied on June 26 1950 when the War began. Today, we honor all who served during this conflict. The Purple Heart recipients seen here represent their comrades in arms from the War:

Permission required for use. Please contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a New York State Parks site under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

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