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Purple Heart Medal memorialized in new monument in Rockford
MARGARET DOWNING PHOTO The Journal
This a shot of retired Air Force Major General John Borling’s Purple Heart medal. Borling was guest speaker at the event.
A good sized turn out of area residents were on hand at the LZ site adjacent to the Rockford Museum Center and Midway Village on May 4 for dedication of a new Purple Heart Memorial.
Major General John L. Borling, USAF Retired, a graduate of the Air Force Academy (1963) and a former POW, was guest speaker May 4 at the Dedication of the new Purple Heart Memorial located in the LZ (Landing Zone) Memorial at Midway Village, 6799 Guilford Road in Rockford.
The event was sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society and the “LZ Smoke Brothers” in the area, where the Vietnam War era Huey Helicopter is located adjacent to Midway Village.
History and meaning of the Purple Heart Medal:
Per the U.S. Department of Defense website, the Purple Heart “is the oldest active military award in the United States and, like the country it represents, has gone through many changes. What now is known as the Purple Heart began as the Badge of Military Merit, established by George Washington on Aug. 7, 1782.
“The Purple Heart medal is presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military. A Purple Heart is a solemn distinction and means a service member has greatly sacrificed themselves, or paid the ultimate price, while in the line of duty…although by 1782, the Revolutionary War was basically over and peace talks were happening in Paris, General George Washington needed a way to quell the talk of rebellion. Congress was running out of money after years of war with England. Troops were hungry and unpaid and there was talk of mutiny.”
Washington, at this point “decided to create the Badge of Military Merit to recognize acts by his troops. The requirements for earning the badge were a lot different from today’s Purple Heart. Soldiers had to do something unusually heroic or perform some act that was essential to the success of the Continental Army.
While that sounds more like something you’d have to do to earn the Medal of Honor, the badge was actually a cloth purple heart with the word ‘merit’ stitched across it in white. So, in a way, both the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart came from the Badge of Military Merit.
“One thing that made the badge different was that it was the first award meant for enlisted troops. Before this, the only way to recognize heroism by an enlisted soldier was to promote him, or for a general to give him a battlefield commission. No one knows for sure how many soldiers ever received the Badge of Military Merit, though. It could be as few as three. And the book in which recipients’ names were recorded has been lost for more than 200 years.
“Washington’s order was allowed to lapse after the war ended and the Purple Heart wasn’t revived until Feb. 22, 1932, on Washington’s 200th birthday. Designed by Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist, the modern medal features a profile image of Washington. Once again, the medal was awarded for meritorious service, but now soldiers could also receive it if they’d been wounded by the enemy.
“The award was made retroactive – World War I soldiers who had earned certain awards could apply for the Purple Heart. The first medal was presented to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Army chief of staff at the time.
At first, the Purple Heart was only available to soldiers, but in 1942 Congress changed the rules for earning the award, authorizing it only for wounds, and made it available to all services, including some civilians.”
According to Vietnam vet Nick Parnello, “Liebovich Bros., Inc. donated the steel for the new memorial.”
A new award was introduced at the event. 98-year-old World War II vet Joe Montalbano, of Rockford, who received the award and who was in attendance, was the recipient. Mr. Montalbano was a staff sergeant with the 65th Infantry and his unit was utilized as a backup force (reserves) during the Battle of the Bulge.
Montalbano was struck and injured by shrapnel during that time and was honored with a Purple Heart. The injuries resulted in him being unfit for combat and he received an honorable discharge.
