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Photos

Snapshots of what’s happening in the Defense Department.

George Washington, commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and the first president of the United States, originated the Purple Heart Medal. After the American colonists had won their freedom from England, the medal was discontinued until it was revived in 1932. During his trip to Iraq on April 22, 2016, Marine Corps Gen, Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awarded Purple Heart medals to four Marines wounded during the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attack on Fire Base Bell in March. DoD photo by Gerry J. Gilmore

Purple Heart Medal

George Washington, commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and the first president of the United States, originated the Purple Heart Medal. After the American colonists had won their freedom from England, the medal was discontinued until it was revived in 1932. During his trip to Iraq on April 22, 2016, Marine Corps Gen, Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awarded Purple Heart medals to four Marines wounded during the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attack on Fire Base Bell in March. DoD photo by Gerry J. Gilmore

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