On May 24, 2012, South Dakota officially declared Interstate 90 from the Minnesota border to the Wyoming border as the state's segment of the National Purple Heart Trail. Established in 1992 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the trail is a symbolic route through all 50 states and U.S. territories honoring men and women wounded or killed in combat while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The trail originates in Mt. Vernon, Virginia, the burial place of George Washington. The Purple Heart Medal, the nation's oldest military medal and specifically a combat decoration, was first created by General George Washington in 1782 as the Badge of Military Merit and is awarded to members of the armed forces of the United States who have been wounded or killed in action by an enemy of the United States. The Purple Heart Trail is intended as a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges, and other monuments paying tribute to those who have received the Purple Heart Medal and to the sacrifices made for the nation's freedom.