U.S. Army Specialist 4 (SP4) John Alberghini will represent his fellow Purple Heart heroes as Connecticut’s representative at the multi-day tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded.
An Oak Island Marine Corps veteran has been chosen to be one of the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. Corporal Robert Cloninger will be North Carolina’s representative at the multi-day tribute to America’s combat wounded.
The designates the organization as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that the National Purple Heart Honor Mission is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s comprehensive criteria that go beyond financials. The four-star rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve.
Cloninger enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 7, 1967, serving with 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, Delta Company. He deployed to Vietnam during the Tet Offensive and fought at the Siege of Khe Sanh before continuing combat operations in the jungles of Vietnam. He earned his Purple Heart after being wounded in a North Vietnamese ambush, suffering shrapnel injuries to his right upper arm.
A local Purple Heart recipient has been chosen as one of the nation’s 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Albert Guarnieri Jr. will represent his fellow Purple Heart recipients as Rhode Island’s representative at the multiday tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded.
The National Purple Heart Honor Mission is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing effectiveness and reliability have helped it earn a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.
The multi-day Patriot Project Mission, which will take place during the week of April 27 – 30, 2026, will include events at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, visits to historic Washington’s Headquarters, where the Badge of Military Merit originated in 1782, and a private tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor – the museum dedicated to our nation’s combat wounded and killed in action.
