Susan Davis: “I was honored for the opportunity to introduce the Purple Heart Equity Act along with Representative Virginia Foxx…”

“I was honored for the opportunity to introduce the Purple Heart Equity Act along with Representative Virginia Foxx, Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Chairman John Murtha, and a number of other bipartisan sponsors. We came together, and this is a unanimous bill because honoring the women who have won the Purple Heart is something that we can all stand behind. As commander of the Continental Army, as has been mentioned, George Washington wanted to recognize soldiers whose sacrifices and distinction forwarded the cause of independence. As a result, he created the Military Merit. He also designed the award, shaped it like a heart in the color purple. And after the Revolutionary War, this award was actually abandoned. But in honor of the bicentennial of Washington's birth, President Herbert Hoover revived the award in 1932, and it maintained its original design and became more known today, of course, as the Purple Heart. In that same year the Military Order of the Purple Heart formed with the mission of fostering a positive environment among wounded veterans as well as providing services to all veterans and their families.”