Edward C. Morse's Purple Heart
date: label: Associated Date
content: 1941-12-07
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: The Purple Heart is suspended on purple ribbon. The medal is made in the shape of a heart bordered with gold. Within the center of the heart is a bust of George Washington. On top of the heart is Washington’s coat of arms.
label: Description
content: Specific History
label: Description
content: This Purple Heart was awarded posthumously to Edward C. Morse who was killed aboard the USS <i>Arizona</i> on December 7, 1941. The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration in the world in present use. It is the first American award made available to the common soldier. General George Washington created it as a Badge of Military Merit. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the United States who are wounded at the hands of the enemy. It is awarded posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: On December 7, 1941 Japanese aircraft flew over Pearl Harbor just before 8 a.m. The color detail was on deck to raise the flag at the stern at 8. The <i>Arizona</i> came under attack almost immediately, and by about 8:10 received a hit by an 800-kilogram bomb just forward of turret two on the starboard side. Within a few seconds the forward powder magazines exploded. This explosion gutted the forward part of the ship. The foremast and forward superstructure collapsed. Turrets one and two dropped more than twenty feet relative to their normal position. The explosion ignited furious fires in the forward part of the ship. The majority of the crew members were either killed by the explosion and fire or were trapped by the rapid sinking of the ship. 1,177 of the crew died on the ship.
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States
topic: label: related event
content: Pearl Harbor, Attack on
label: related event
content: World War II
label: related event
content: The Emergence of Modern America
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Naval
label: See more items in
content: Military
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content: ThinkFinity
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Edward J. Morse
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.59458
label: catalog number
content: 59458
label: accession number
content: 268315
objectType: label: Object Name
content: medal
label: Other Terms
content: medal; Decoration; Purple Heart
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cloth (ribbon bar material)
label: Physical Description
content: enamel (lapel button material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, gilt (medal material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, gilt (pendant material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, gilt (pin fastener material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, gilt (suspension ribbon material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 1/2 in x 1 1/2 in x 1/4 in; 8.89 cm x 3.81 cm x .635 cm