In the process of cleaning out an apartment in Dallas, a medal surfaced, alerting the cleaner to something special. It was a Purple Heart apparently awarded to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Curtis R. Patton for his service with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. Patton, 26, along with 20 others in his unit, was killed in action Feb. 4, 1968.
Read MoreNews 5 anchor Rob Powers was in Chippewa Lake, Ohio, for the return of Staff Sergeant Curtis Patton's Purple Heart, which had been lost for nearly six decades and was recently discovered in Texas.
Read MoreNearly six decades after Staff Sgt. Curtis R. Patton was killed in Vietnam, his Purple Heart has been returned to his family. Patton’s sister, Faye Wilcox, and brother, Jerry Patton, accepted the medal on Monday during a ceremony at Chippewa Lake Yacht Club, attended by family members, veterans and representatives of the Purple Heart Honor Mission.
Read MorePatton was just 26 when he died, leaving behind a young wife. His family lived in a small Virginia coal town where he grew up.
The years passed by and his family eventually lost touch with his wife. And then around Memorial Day this year, the family got an unexpected call. It was from the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.
Read MoreThe family of Staff Sgt. Curtis Patton gathered this week to receive a Purple Heart medal that had been missing for nearly 60 years — a reunion made possible by a stranger’s discovery in a Texas apartment.
Read MoreA select group of Purple Heart recipients gathered in New York in April for a three-day event honoring their sacrifices to the nation.
Read MoreSpidel and his wife, Tracy Spidel, spent the morning of April 27, a Monday, driving the 3 1/2 hours to the Hampton Inn in Newburgh. Spidel packed a few VFW sweatshirts, button-up shirts, loungewear and jeans. He forgot his slacks. Spidel’s daily naps, which he takes religiously at 1 p.m., were an impossibility.
Read MoreIowa's honoree during the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project Mission, U.S. Army Col. John Mansfield (Ret.), joined NEWSMAX TV's America Right Now with Tom Basile to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day and how he remembers those who served alongside him.
Read MoreRetired U.S. Army Col. John Mansfield, from Sioux City, was recognized as one of many honorees, chosen for a multi-day event in New York City, honoring both “courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded.”
Read MoreWhen combat veterans share their experiences with one another, their individual stories might be different, but very similar at the same time.
Read MoreThree-time Purple Heart recipient James McCormick will represent West Virginia at the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project April 27-May 1 in New York.
Read MoreAs the celebration of America's 250th birthday continues, Purple Heart heroes from across the nation will come together in New York's historic Hudson Valley for a special tribute concert this April.
Read MoreResorts World Catskills and Resorts World Hudson Valley are honoring America’s combat wounded as America celebrates its 250th birthday with a $10,000 sponsorship of the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project.
Read MoreWTEN’s Ryan Peterson talks to Purple Heart recipients Richard Lay and Dan Clarino about the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project Mission.
Read MoreThe “Concert for America’s Heroes,” presented by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, will take place at Mount Saint Mary College’s Aquinas Theatre. The event serves as the capstone of this year’s Purple Heart Patriot Project mission, which brings combat-wounded veterans from all 50 states to the Hudson Valley.
Read MoreAs we celebrate the 250th birthday of our great nation, Purple Heart heroes from across the nation will come together in New York’s historic Hudson Valley for a special tribute concert this April. The “Concert for America’s Heroes” will be the capstone event of this year’s Purple Heart Patriot Project mission that brings combat wounded veterans from every state to the New York region.
Read MoreA local Purple Heart recipient has been chosen to be one of the nation’s 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. U.S. Air Force Colonel (Col.) Carl Pio Parlatore will represent his fellow Purple Heart heroes as Tennessee’s representative at the multi-day tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded. The Purple Heart Patriot Project is a program of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.
Read MoreIan Freeman, a Boise-based two-time Purple Heart recipient, has been selected as Idaho’s representative for the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project, a national tribute organized by the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.
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