General George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit at his Newburgh, New York headquarters on August 7, 1782, as a purple cloth heart for distinguished valor while commanding the Continental Army. Washington himself awarded the badge to only three Revolutionary War soldiers, and although it was never abolished, it was not officially proposed again until after World War I. On January 7, 1931, General Douglas MacArthur confidentially reopened work on a new design and revived medal, which became known as the Purple Heart. The present Purple Heart medal, bearing a bust and profile of George Washington, was issued on the bicentennial and two hundredth anniversary of Washington’s birth by executive order of President Herbert Hoover and by War Department General Order No. 3 dated February 22, 1932, out of respect for Washington’s memory and military achievements. Awarded in the name of the President of the United States, the Purple Heart goes to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. armed services after April 5, 1917, have been wounded or killed. It is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members.