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#3784
2003 37c Purple Heart, Perf. 11.25 x 10.75
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U.S. #3784
37¢ Purple Heart
Issue Date: May 30, 2003
City: Mount Vernon, Virginia
Quantity: 120,000,000
Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: Serpentine Die Cut 11.25 x 10.75
Color: Multicolored
The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration in the world still in active use, and it holds the distinction of being the first American military award available to enlisted personnel as well as officers. General George Washington ordered the creation of a badge of distinction for meritorious service on August 7, 1782, writing that the road to glory in a patriot army was thus open to all. Originally called the Badge of Military Merit, the award recognized soldiers for exceptional service during the Revolutionary War, marking one of the earliest formal efforts by the young nation to honor its fighting men regardless of rank.
The award fell out of use following the Revolutionary War and remained dormant for well over a century before being revived in 1932, the bicentennial of Washington's birth. At that time, the War Department reestablished the honor as the Purple Heart, redefining it to recognize service members wounded or killed in combat. The medal's design incorporates a profile of Washington set against a purple heart shape, paying direct tribute to the award's origins under his original order.
This stamp was issued on May 30, 2003, at Mount Vernon, Virginia, Washington's own estate, a fitting location given the medal's connection to his original 1782 directive. The choice of site tied the modern honor directly back to its founder, reinforcing the award's long lineage as a symbol of sacrifice recognized across more than two centuries of American military history. A reprint of this design followed later that same year with slightly different perforations.
U.S. #3784
37¢ Purple Heart
Issue Date: May 30, 2003
City: Mount Vernon, Virginia
Quantity: 120,000,000
Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: Serpentine Die Cut 11.25 x 10.75
Color: Multicolored
The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration in the world still in active use, and it holds the distinction of being the first American military award available to enlisted personnel as well as officers. General George Washington ordered the creation of a badge of distinction for meritorious service on August 7, 1782, writing that the road to glory in a patriot army was thus open to all. Originally called the Badge of Military Merit, the award recognized soldiers for exceptional service during the Revolutionary War, marking one of the earliest formal efforts by the young nation to honor its fighting men regardless of rank.
The award fell out of use following the Revolutionary War and remained dormant for well over a century before being revived in 1932, the bicentennial of Washington's birth. At that time, the War Department reestablished the honor as the Purple Heart, redefining it to recognize service members wounded or killed in combat. The medal's design incorporates a profile of Washington set against a purple heart shape, paying direct tribute to the award's origins under his original order.
This stamp was issued on May 30, 2003, at Mount Vernon, Virginia, Washington's own estate, a fitting location given the medal's connection to his original 1782 directive. The choice of site tied the modern honor directly back to its founder, reinforcing the award's long lineage as a symbol of sacrifice recognized across more than two centuries of American military history. A reprint of this design followed later that same year with slightly different perforations.
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