West Point welcomed Purple Heart recipients to enjoy day at academy through Patriot Project

By Eric Bartelt Pointer View Managing EditorSeptember 29, 2023

The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
1 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
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The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
2 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
3 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
4 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
5 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
6 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
7 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric s. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
8 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
9 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
10 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
11 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
12 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
13 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
14 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric s. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
15 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
16 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
17 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
18 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
19 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
20 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
21 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
22 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
23 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
VIEW ORIGINAL
The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart...
24 / 24 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Military Academy welcomed 38 Purple Heart recipients and their family and caregivers, about 90 total guests, during the Purple Heart Patriot Project venture to West Point on Sept. 21. Organized and sponsored by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, the non-profit organization works to promote the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, N.Y.

The organization puts on an annual weeklong event where Purple Heart recipients from around the United States, one from each state if they can make it, gather in the Hudson Valley for a week of activities to include visiting the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Washington’s Headquarters, New York City where they visited the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, several memorial sites, a gala at the Newburgh Unity Armory and West Point.

This is the third mission that has happened over the past five years (2019, 2021, 2023), and this year’s recipients ranged from a 99-year-old World War II vet and Vietnam veterans to servicemembers from the most recent wars of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Photo Credit: Eric S. Bartelt/PV)
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While the term “entitled” can sometimes carry a negative undertone; for servicemembers who are wounded or killed in a combat zone, their bravery and sacrifice earn them the entitlement and distinct honor of the Purple Heart decoration. Going above and beyond, the Purple Heart Patriot Project, an initiative led and funded by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, provided 38 Purple Heart recipients and their guests a weeklong all-expenses paid trip to New York in a gesture that stands as a heartfelt tribute to those who endured trails on the battlefield.

The trip included visits to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and Museum in New Windsor, Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh, a trip to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Museum at Ground Zero, the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) and other unique tributes during the week in New York.

The 38 Purple Heart recipients, representing each state minus those who were chosen but couldn’t make the trip, ranged from those who fought in World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The recipients, their family and caregivers enjoyed a day at West Point on Sept. 21 to experience the oldest continuous military base in the military where George Washington and the Continental Army took a foothold during the Revolutionary War.

Once they arrived at West Point, they embarked on a comprehensive tour, exploring the West Point Visitors Center and the West Point Museum. A luncheon was hosted at the West Point Club, where they shared a meal with cadets hailing from their respective states, as well as servicemembers and civilians at West Point, all united by their shared Purple Heart distinction. They would spend the afternoon touring the West Point grounds, culminating in an exclusive experience as VIP attendees at the Thayer Award Review, witnessing the cadets march in the brigade parade pass in review on The Plain.

One of the leads in organizing the trip for these heroes is retired Col. Russ Vernon, executive director of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, 1980 USMA graduate and veteran of 24 years of active duty and National Guard service.

The original mission was to raise funds to build the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and Museum to honor the nation’s combat wounded, but once that mission was complete, Vernon asked, “What is the next step?”

“We had a choice, do we encase the colors and say, ‘mission complete,’ or do we continue forward,” Vernon said. “We continued forward with the mission of paying honor and tribute to Purple Heart recipients and recording their stories.”

While on the trip, the recipients shared their stories and history, which are recorded for the museum.

“This is so generations ahead understand that there is a cost to our nation’s freedom, to liberty, and as important as it is paying tribute and honoring these heroes, it’s educating the rest of the nation and our youth on what it means to be an American and the privileges we have as Americans – our freedoms,” Vernon commented. “At West Point, the cadets understand that. From day one, they raise their right hands, take the oath to support and defend the Constitution, but much of America doesn’t understand that and that is why we bring these stories to life.

“When we bring the Purple Heart recipients to New York and spend a day at West Point, spend a day at the Statue of Liberty and at the 9/11 Memorial, it all comes full circle,” he added. “Many of our honorees this year are Iraq and Afghanistan, OIF and OEF veterans, and they signed up days after the (Twin) Towers came down, so for them to see that memorial was very emotional.”

Initiated in 2019, the Patriot Project Mission trip is now in its third iteration, with plans to establish it as an annual tradition. The journey holds profound emotional significance not only for the Purple Heart veterans but also for Vernon, underscoring the profound impact and shared sentiment that accompanies each visit.

“It’s very emotional for me. As a civilian, I worked in those towers. I wasn’t there that day, but it’s always emotional because I had a lot of friends and co-workers who were in the towers that day,” said Vernon, who worked as a banker along with his National Guard service at the time. “All of us, especially these Purple Heart recipients, we all left people somewhere, but we’ve got to carry on in their honor and move forward.”

This trip can be particularly therapeutic to the veterans who have gone through a lot since their return to the United States, whether it is from physical wounds, mental anguish or not being accepted when they returned from their duty.

“Many of the veterans on this trip suffer from PTSD, but being with each other, they really come to an understanding that when you talk to each other, get support from each other, you can get through and move forward,” Vernon explained. “What’s especially heartening on these trips is the Afghan and Iraq veterans who are just going through all the hardships of integrating back and PTSD, they have the Vietnam veterans to help them through it.

“The Vietnam veterans experienced the worst of the worst, both in war and then not being welcomed home, so it gives the Vietnam veterans a chance to put their arms around the Soldiers, these fine men and women, and say ‘I know what you’re going through, I know what it feels like, but there is help and support,’ it’s amazing,” Vernon said.

The most remarkable part of the trip is the last evening on Sept. 21, where the Purple Heart recipients receive a hero’s welcome during an evening gala in their honor at the Newburgh Unity Armory.

“The great thing about the Patriot Project Mission is the last day … we welcome them home,” Vernon said. “We have a community rally that is attended by over 1,000 people, especially for the Vietnam veterans as they get the welcome home they never got.”

The Purple Heart Patriot Project extends its invitation to Purple Heart recipients regardless of their branch of service – be it Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines – and irrespective of gender.

“We take nominations from around the country. We black out the service and the names, and we just look at the stories,” Vernon said. “As important as the wartime service is, it’s what these honorees have done since they’ve come home and how they continue to support veterans, veterans causes, their community – it’s every bit as much about who they are since they’ve been home than what they did on the battlefield.”

Vernon explained that the recipients are chosen from each of the 50 states and receive thousands of nominations from around the country, which come from friends, co-workers and family members, as no one is allowed to nominate themselves. The nominations can be sent to the National Purple Heart Honor Mission at www.purpleheartmission.org.

“We start accepting nominations (for the next year) on Veterans Day and they can be submitted through New Year’s Day,” Vernon said. “Then we spend about six weeks looking through and picking the most deserving individual from every state.”

The trip is all from private donations where the honoree and a guest are flown in from across the country.

“It’s quite an expense to give them a VIP experience,” Vernon said. “We have banquets, the gala – it’s quite an undertaking, but it’s a labor of love for our nation’s heroes. There is no expense that is too much.”

Among the places the group visited during the trip included lunch at Fraunces Tavern in downtown Manhattan, which is the most historic restaurant in America.

“It’s where the Continental Congress convened. It’s where George Washington said adieu to his troops before he became president,” Vernon said.

They visited the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and Washington’s Headquarters on Sept. 19.

“The Purple Heart has its genesis with George Washington in 1782 when he created the Badge of Military Merit to honor the enlisted men,” said Vernon of the forerunner to the Purple Heart, which became what it is today in 1917 with the likeness of Washington on the medal.

Then the last day was the West Point excursion, where the cadets got to meet the veterans and break bread with them and delve into conversion during the hour-and-a-half lunch.

“It’s so powerful for the cadets to interact with these heroes and for these heroes to know that the country is in good hands with a future officer corps that is going to pick up the mantle and ensure that the Constitution is defended as they take their oath,” Vernon said.

Before they got to experience the West Point tour and full brigade review, as Vernon noted that “it’s going to be a thrill of a lifetime,” they got to listen to remarks from retired Gen. David Perkins, the former commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and a 1980 USMA graduate, who was a classmate and roommate of Vernon at the academy.

Perkins spoke briefly to the cadets who attended about being there to honor those who have gone before them.

“That is a great manifestation of selfless service, and hopefully … from talking to our great American heroes and hearing their stories, and observing the honor and reverence that those of us and those of you that are serving pay tribute to those who have served – and that you’re a part of this long lineage of not only the Long Gray Line, but of service to our nation, which sort of began in this part of the world during the Revolutionary War,” Perkins said.

Then, in speaking to the Purple Heart recipients, specifically, and all those who gathered, he uttered three lasting words, “service never stops.”

“The vast majority of our nation will never know the sacrifice that those wearing the purple shirts made,” said Perkins, referencing the recipients who wore purple T-shirts to signify who they are. “Hopefully, in the time you spend here today, you’re looking around and seeing you’re not in this by yourself. Once in service to our nation, we are here to pay tribute to you – it’s kind of this mutual admiration society where the young cadets are seeing those from World War II onward who have served and you can admire what they did, but they are also in admiration of you and they’re passing the mantle onto you.”

As a West Point graduate, Vernon is thrilled and proud to show the recipients West Point.

“I’m shaped by two things in life – my parents and West Point – and they both did me really well,” Vernon said. “It’s who I am today, and I’m always excited to bring people here – especially the Navy guys.”

But just as much as he is thrilled for the Purple Heart veterans to experience the academy’s storied halls, West Point is giving them the chance to embrace the whole week among new friends who sacrificed much for the country.

“These people are our nation’s treasure, and they were willing to go onto the battlefield … they were willing to shed their blood so that we can all live free,” Vernon said. “You can’t thank them enough, and without exception every one of our honorees would tell you they would do it all over again. A lot of them left parts of their bodies on that battlefield and every day they walk with the scars of war.”

For Vernon, as he looks at what he’s done with his life and career, he feels he’s been blessed and very fortunate and now being around these men and women who sacrificed a lot, he said “the impact on me is immeasurable.”

“It’s the greatest thing I do and when I look at giving back and volunteerism, it’s the highlight of my career walking among these heroes, supporting these heroes and doing whatever I can for them,” Vernon said.

The biggest thing from the mission trip that Vernon wants for the Purple Heart recipients is to “say this was the best deployment they ever went on.”

“They’ve been on some tough deployments, but my hope for them is they will remember this as the greatest deployment ever,” Vernon said. “It’s for them to bond with fellow veterans and their family members. Everyone gets to pick the guest of their choice … we have people on the east coast who are bringing sons or daughters who live on the west coast who they haven’t seen in years – it’s an amazing trip.”

Veterans talk about Patriot Project Mission experience

Among the 38 Purple Heart veterans, which included 99-year-old Robert Senter, who fought in World War II in Normandy, were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nathaniel Loomis of Idaho and retired Col. Edward Cruickshank from Hawaii.

This wasn’t the first time Loomis had been to West Point. He attended the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School in 2001-02 when it was in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and then the U.S. Military Academy from 2002-04.

While he was separated from the academy due to academic issues, he did continue on in service that started in 1998 and then years later was commissioned to warrant officer in the Idaho Army National Guard in 2016 with Bravo Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team. However, during Operation Iraqi Freedom in April 2005, Loomis was wounded while working in a 5-ton truck when an incoming 85mm mortar struck the top of the truck and detonated, blowing a hole in the roof, and sending shrapnel flying throughout the vehicle.

“They hit us with 13 mortars that day and I was working in a vehicle that was in the path of one of those mortars,” Loomis said. “There was a lot of smoke, a lot of ringing in my ears, a lot of noise, a lot of confusion. I honestly didn’t even understand what had happened until well after it happened – it was quite the event.”

But this Purple Heart trip allowed him to return to his old stomping grounds that he has not seen since 2004.

“I think it’s absolutely amazing to be back here,” Loomis said. “I honestly didn’t realize how much I missed it in the past 20 years until I came back and re-walked these grounds. It brought back so many memories. I was telling my wife that this was the time I was most physically fit of my entire career while I was here.

“It’s stunning what they’ve done to the grounds,” he added. “All the renovations, the new library, it actually brings back really good memories.”

Loomis mentioned that when he was a cadet that he never had a chance to see places like the Cadet Chapel.

“I never got to see some of these places because I was usually in my room trying to pass calculus or calculus II,” Loomis said. “The Cadet Chapel is absolutely stunning … I’m shocked in the two years I was here I never went to the Cadet Chapel – but it is a stunning piece of architecture and history.”

For Loomis, the highlight of the entire journey was the visit to New York City, particularly the profound experience of witnessing the Statue of Liberty and paying respects at the 9/11 Memorial. This moment held immense personal significance for him.

“We talk about these ideals of our country – liberty, freedom, justice for all – in our pledge of allegiance but seeing those visceral reminders and representations of those ideals of those words … I think it really brings home the enormity of what we serve for and what we fought for,” Loomis said.

Loomis spoke highly of the veterans he spent the week with, calling them an “absolutely amazing group.”

“Last night, I sat at a table of Vietnam veterans and fellow Purple Heart recipients and they started sharing their stories, and one of them remarked after about 30 minutes, ‘You know what, I’ve never shared these stories before,’” Loomis explained. “I think bringing us together like this and we all have this commonality, even beyond being Soldiers but as Purple Heart recipients, it really opens up a safer space because you’re with people who truly understand or have an idea what you went through, and I was very humbled by that experience.”

But, no matter what, Loomis said that talking about his story isn’t about dwelling on the tragic nature of what happened to him and that he deals with short-term memory loss to this day, it’s about that even if danger is imminent, doing your job as a Soldier is most important in the face of what can be a grim reality.

“Always do your duty. You know when you sign up, you’re signing up for some of the best times and some of the worst times of your life,” Loomis said. “You have to be able to accept that and know that harm can come to you and come to the Soldiers you are charged with protecting. You do your best to mitigate those risks and do your best to protect those Soldiers but … your mission can bring you into harm’s way. Coming into harm’s way is part of what you’re signing up for and if you’re not willing to accept that then maybe you’re not doing the right thing.”

Loomis comes from a family that has served in the Armed Forces for generations, from his father, younger brother and uncles to his grandparents, demonstrating that, service to the nation is a very important part of his life.

“I can’t imagine what else I would have done with my life while carrying on the legacy of my family,” Loomis said. “Serving in the military of our nation’s Armed Forces … I’ve carried forth my family’s legacy and made the best of it that I could. Now, I’m raising my (four) sons and daughter, and hopefully some of them will chose to carry on the tradition and legacy of serving in our nation’s military.

“Overall, service has brought some of the greatest meaning to my life,” he added. “Again, I’ve had some of the best times and worst times of my life, but through it all, I’ve always found that camaraderie and service ship with fellow Soldiers having that common goal that unites all of us from all walks of life – it’s one of the most amazing things, in my opinion, that a man or woman could choose to do with his or her life.”

He also offered some advice to the next generation of leaders who will be leading America’s sons and daughters in the Army of the future.

“The first thing … your Soldiers always come first. You take care of your Soldiers, they will take care of you,” Loomis said. “The next thing … always be willing to admit when you need help – it doesn’t matter what kind of help this is … the important thing to remember is at the end of the day, you’re a part of the biggest team in the world and you have teammates who will help you get through the things you can’t. In turn, you will help your teammates get through the things they’re struggling with, but always take care of your Soldiers and they will take care of you.”

As for Cruickshank, he commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1967 and while serving as an Armor, Cavalry officer with Delta Troop, 2-17th Cavalry as part of the 101st Aviation Group in Vietnam in 1969-70, he was wounded in action.

Earning the Purple Heart and then coming to West Point on this trip was a convergence of years of knowing a man who talked highly about West Point.

“I was really looking forward to seeing West Point because you hear about it all the time,” said Cruickshank of his first time at USMA. “Gen. (David) Bramlett, who graduated from here and was the commandant (from 1989-92), we’re very good friends, and he told me about it, and I just wanted to see it for myself – it’s fabulous, it’s beautiful.”

The two of them both served in Vietnam around the same time and Cruickshank said, “I was with him in the 101st, he was with the infantry … we would rappel in (as part of the Cavalry Aviation unit), and he would come over and save us.”

The most intriguing part of the trip for Cruickshank was meeting his fellow comrades and seeing what is being done by the Purple Heart Honor Mission.

“Just seeing the Purple Heart (Honor Mission) and what it is doing, I think it is fabulous work,” Cruickshank said. “I didn’t realize how many entities are working with this mission … they are doing a great job the way it is now.”

While the trip primarily focuses on honoring Purple Heart recipients, Cruickshank places greater emphasis on his Bronze Star, viewing it as a symbol of leadership because “I took care of people and saved my men,” whereas his Purple Heart holds deeper significance as a tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

When it comes to his service to the nation, Cruickshank humbly shifts the spotlight away from himself, emphasizing that it’s less about his personal journey and more about the greater cause of his country.

“For me, it’s always been about the country,” Cruickshank said. “Do whatever the country asks of you, they’ve given you freedom and you stand by it – that’s the way I was brought up.”

Cruickshank enjoyed meeting the cadets, the future leaders of the Army, and said they are important because “they’re the ones who will be carrying the torch of freedom and it’s all in their hands.”

“It was in our hands at one time, but now it’s in theirs and whatever we can do to make them winners is very important to all of us,” Cruickshank said. “We just got to let people understand that these guys are saving our butts. They’re willingly putting their lives on the line to protect all of us. There are people who are not appreciative of that, and it irks me when someone complains (about them) when he hasn’t given a damn thing whereas (myself) and so many other good people have done that. These (cadets) don’t want anything, they just want to protect our country and take care of their families.”

The Purple Heart Mission trip was a truly memorable experience for all involved, offering a well-deserved recognition of their sacrifices. It provided a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these honorees to come together and create lasting memories.

“This is probably one of the greatest events I’ve ever participated in, in 25 years of military service,” Loomis said. “I’ve never been a part of a group like this before and I can’t imagine that I would ever again — this is an amazing experience.”

From Cruickshank’s perspective, it wasn’t just about him and his sacrifices, but it was about remembering all those who fought gallantly and some who never got a chance to enjoy these moments.

“I don’t say it recognizes me, it recognizes all of those who gave blood for their country to keep us free,” Cruickshank said. “I’ll do whatever I can to honor them for the rest of my life because I did lose men in Vietnam. That’s what it’s all about, it’s to honor them but it’s to honor their families because the military is a family and that’s why we’re a band of brothers.”