{"title":"Purple Heart","definition":"
The oldest and most recognized US military decoration awarded to members of the US Armed Forces, the Purple Heart is a combat decoration awarded to those who are wounded in action by an instrument of war at the hands of an enemy.<\/p>
There were 3,600 Purple Hearts awarded to soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, according to Orville C. Shirley, Americans: The Story of the 442nd Combat Team<\/em>, published in 1946. This number does not include Purple Hearts awarded to members of this unit wounded in action, who were hospitalized and transferred to the Zone of the Interior. At the end of the war, 442 RCT records showed there were 4,349 battle wounds and killed in action, and 4,881 combat-induced casualties (e.g. frost bite, battle fatigue, trench foot) for which the Purple Heart is not awarded. Subsequently, research conducted by the Japanese American Veterans Association indicates there is a higher number of purple hearts. Visit the resource directory<\/a> for additional information.<\/p>"}