No one ever wants to get a Purple Heart.
Even though it’s the most revered and time-honored medal in American military history, being on the receiving end of the Purple Heart means that you’ve either been grievously wounded or killed in the process of “earning” it.
Meet the man who was awarded 9 of them over the course of 12 years.
There’s a very good reason why the Purple Heart exists in the first place.
It’s so that we never forget the ultimate sacrifice our honored servicemen and women have made to protect our freedoms.
Over 2 million Purple Hearts have been awarded since 1932.
Take a moment of silence to really let that sink in.
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The Purple Heart is one of the most recognizable medals out there.
According to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the distinguished medal is:
“Awarded to members of the armed forces of the United States who are wounded by an instrument of war at the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those killed in action or who died of wounds received in action. It is specifically a combat decoration.”
Even though it’s described as a combat decoration, it’s an accolade that one doesn’t flash around like so much bling.
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The Purple Heart is America’s oldest military award still given to servicemembers.
Its roots can be traced back to the Revolutionary War when it was originally called the Badge of Military Merit. After World War I, it was re-imaged as the modern-day Purple Heart.
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Famous recipients include actors James Arness (Gunsmoke), Charles Bronson (Death Wish), James Garner (Rockford Files), and Rod Serling (Twilight Zone).
Writer Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five), director Oliver Stone (Platoon), and President John F. Kennedy (the only U.S. president to ever receive one) were also awarded the respected medal.
While Marine Staff Sgt. Albert Luke Ireland might not be as well known as the celebrities listed above, he’s earned more Purple Hearts than all of them combined.
You could even say he was extra!
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Born in Cold Springs, New York on Feb 25, 1918, Ireland joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1941, five days after Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was not alone, as thousands of men signed up that day.
It was in the Pacific Theater that Ireland fought alongside his band of brothers.
The indomitable machine gunner was wounded five times, once in the Guadalcanal Campain and four times in the Battle of Okinawa.
However, that wasn’t the end of this soldier’s bravery!
The Staff Sgt. went on to become a Marine Core Reservist after WWII was over, but he was called back to active duty in 1950 when the Korean War broke out.
Ireland’s military service spans two wars and several decades.
In 1953, the decorated Marine was wounded a record nine times over two different wars. He was medically honorably discharged after the Korean War due to the severity of his injuries.
He returned home to New York, where he went on to continue his braveheart ways as a civilian firefighter. Although he never married, he certainly leaves a legacy behind that no one will soon forget.
Semper Fi, Marine!
Staff Sgt. Ireland is currently the only Marine on record to have received 9 Purple Hearts. He’s sometimes reported as having been awarded the most Purple Hearts in history, but that’s not the case.
To give credit where credit is due, Curry T. Hayes (Vietnam) and Charles D.Barger (WW1) both received 10 Purple Hearts each.
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