Military Family Magazine: Purple Heart Day - An opportunity to raise awareness of wounded veterans

Johnson’s story is one in some 1.8 million, of Americans who, as retired Col. Russell Vernon said, “left some or all of themselves on the battlefield.” Vernon is executive director of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, an organization dedicated to ensuring that Purple Heart recipients like Johnson — those who have been wounded or killed while serving in the Armed Forces — are never forgotten.

The NPHHM was founded in 1997 as part of an effort spearheaded by Lt. Col. William J. Larkin Jr., a retired Army officer, World War II and Korean War veteran and New York State senator. Larkin and three others lobbied and raised funds to build what is now the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, a museum to honor Purple Heart recipients.

CLICK HERE to read the full story from Military Family Magazine.