Badge of Military Merit The Badge of Military Merit is considered the first military award of the United States Armed Forces . Although the Fidelity Medallion is older , after being issued to three soldiers for a specific event in 1780 it was never awarded again , so the Badge of Military Merit is often considered the oldest . The Purple Heart is the official successor decoration of the Badge of Military Merit . History . The Badge of Military Merit was first announced in General George Washington ' s general orders to the Continental Army issued on August 7 , 1782 at the Headquarters in Newburgh . Designed by Washington in the form of a purple heart , it was intended as a military order for soldiers who exhibited , " not only instances of unusual gallantry in battle , but also extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way . " First awards . The writings of General Washington indicate that three badges , two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit , were created on August 7 , 1782 . This is thought to be the first time in modern history that military awards had been presented to common soldier s . The practice in Europe was to honor high - ranking officer s who had achieved victory , rather than honoring common soldiers . But in America , as General Washington said , the " road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is … open to all . " Of the Badge of Military Merit , Washington said : Recipients . Most historians indicate that only three people received the Badge of Military Merit during the American Revolutionary War , all of them noncommissioned officer s , and the only ones who received the award from General Washington himself . Those soldiers are as follows : On May 3 , 1783 On June 10 , 1783 While these three soldiers were most likely the first to receive the Badge of Military Merit , discharge certificates of other Revolutionary War soldiers indicate that they also received the " Badge of Merit " for their years of faithful service . Microfilmed images of these discharges bearing Washington ' s signature can be found in the individual records of soldiers at the National Archives . George Washington ' s papers show that he also referred to the Badge of Military Merit as the Badge of Merit . This is evident in his orders to award the above - mentioned Sergeants Brown , Churchill and Bissell . The " book of merit " or orderly book mentioned by Washington in his general orders of August 7 , 1782 in which the awards were to be recorded has never been found . Other recipients . Some examples of other soldiers who were awarded the " Badge of Merit " for faithful service , according to their discharges ( it is unclear whether the badges referred to are Honorary Badges of Distinction or the Badge of Military Merit ) : Status of original badges . Sergeant William Brown ' s badge was discovered in a Deerfield , New Hampshire barn in the 1920s and is in the possession of the Society of the Cincinnati , New Hampshire Branch . It is now displayed at the American Independence Museum in Exeter , New Hampshire . Other sources say that Brown ' s badge was reported missing in 1924 , and further , that the badge from New Hampshire belongs to an unknown fourth recipient . The photograph above shows Sergeant Churchill ' s badge , which is owned by New Windsor Cantonment , National Temple Hill Association . Churchill ' s badge was discovered when a Michigan farmer who was the great grandson of Churchill wrote to a New York historical society saying he possessed the badge . It was proven authentic and now is on display at the National Temple Hill Association in Vails Gate , New York . Sergeant Bissell ' s badge was lost in an 1813 house fire . Disuse . After the Revolutionary War , the Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse although it was never officially abolished . In 1932 , the United States War Department authorized the new Purple Heart Medal for soldiers who had previously received either a Wound Chevron or the Army Wound Ribbon . At that time , it was also determined that the Purple Heart Medal would be considered the official " successor decoration " to the Badge of Military Merit .