For decades, the Purple Heart medals awarded to the nation’s valiant service members were leftovers from World War II produced in anticipation of heavy casualties associated with the invasion of Japan. According to the Truman Library Institute, after the war, there remained 495,000 of these medals, which were subsequently awarded during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that the Army’s Institute of Heraldry realized that there was some serious diminishment in the stockpile of those medals. That led the Defense Logistics Agency-the agency buying military awards-to approach Steven Kennedy and his company, Kennedy Inc., in 2022 to mint new medals to the specifications used in the 1930s.
The designing of military awards is in the history of Kennedy Inc. It is bred into his personal history; his father, Capt. T. Frank Kennedy, and uncle, Capt. John A. Kennedy, both served valiantly during World War II. Another uncle, Navy pilot Lt. Jackson W. Findling, was killed in action in 1961. Some forgeries have a personal connection with Kennedy, fueling his dedication to maintaining their historical integrity-personal history or not.
Over the last three decades, Kennedy’s company has produced some 15,000 Purple Heart medals, cementing it as the sole contractor of the coveted awards to this day. “It means a lot to me personally,” Kennedy said, his voice inaudible, as if to hold onto the emotional weight of it all.
The Purple Heart consists of a brass-alloy medal with the profile of George Washington, an inset in purple, and a purple-and-white striped ribbon, and it has not changed from its form when it was reinstituted in 1932 by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. The phrase “For Military Merit,” is emblazoned on the back of the medal, testifying to the bravery of those on whom it is bestowed.
Its origins go back to 1782 when George Washington established the “Badge of Military Merit” to raise morale among the troops. It was largely forgotten up until World War I and was not until MacArthur’s General Order No. 3, in 1932, that it took on its association with wounds received in action.
Charles Mugno, director of the Institute of Army Heraldry, explained that it was during the Second World War that the concept of the Purple Heart started to evolve: While it had originally been given for performance, the parameters would change quickly to the wounded or killed in combat as that war opened up.
Including those manufactured in anticipation of the proposed invasion of Japan, approximately 1.5 million Purple Hearts were produced during World War II. To date, nearly 1.8 million Purple Heart medals have been awarded since 1932-a continuation of the tradition well into modern times.
Kennedy added, that though he has a certain attachment to the medals himself, others do not, but all work together to develop the best product. “We all share the same common goal, which is to make the best possible product we can each and every day here,” he said.
The tradition and craftsmanship of the Purple Heart medals continue in such a way as to keep the sacrifice of America’s service members in the forefront, giving them the same respect their ancestors received.