The Post & Courier: National Purple Heart Day: facts and figures, including South Carolina
SC vet joins '26 Purple Heart Patriot Project
Former Marine Cpl. Jackie Drakeford, a Fort Mill veteran, was selected to represent fellow Purple Heart recipients from South Carolina in New York this spring as part of the annual Purple Heart Patriot Project, a program of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. Included among Patriot Project events were historic sites visits to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; a private tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor; Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters in Newburgh, N.Y., where he established the Badge of Military Merit; and the 9/11 Memorial in New York City.
Drakeford enlisted in the Marines in December 1965. After basic training at Parris Island, he served with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam. He fought in the first defense of Khe Sanh, known as "The Hill Fights." He was wounded three times in 1967, including by AK‑47 fire, grenade shrapnel and artillery rounds.
He is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 634, in the Charlotte region.