Press Release: Local Purple Heart Recipient Ron Cowart to be Honored During National Tribute Event

Dallas Navy Veteran Chosen as Texas’s Representative for the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project

(NEWBURGH, NY) – A local Purple Heart recipient has been chosen to be one of the nation’s 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. U.S. Navy Seaman (SN) Ron Cowart will represent his fellow Purple Heart heroes as Texas’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.

Selected from among hundreds of nominees and deserving candidates for their courage and service, both in combat and in their communities, this annual all-expenses paid ‘Honor Flight’-style salute will bring together Purple Heart recipients from across conflicts and generations. The multi-day Patriot Project Mission, scheduled for April 27 – May 1, 2026, will feature visits to historic sites, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; a private tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor; time at historic Washington’s Headquarters, where the Badge of Military Merit originated in 1782; and the 9/11 Memorial. Other special tribute events are also being planned.

“Ron and his fellow Patriot Project honorees represent the best of the best our country has to offer,” said Jeremy McVey, Chairman of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. “These honorees represent a true cross-section of America and the diversity of our combat wounded through the decades. They answered the nation’s call and then kept on serving. This is our opportunity to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of a grateful nation, especially for our Vietnam veterans—the Patriot Project provides the proper homecoming they never received.”

“These Patriot Project missions recognize the sacrifices made by our Purple Heart recipients and honor those who never made it home. They provide an invaluable opportunity for these heroes to bond with other combat wounded to help with healing, understanding and of course, to know that this nation will never forget their sacrifice,” said National Purple Heart Honor Mission Executive Director Colonel Russell O. Vernon (Ret.). “We received hundreds of nominations from across the country, and we look forward to honoring Ron for his courage and service—both during combat operations and in the years since returning home.”

This year’s Patriot Project honorees include men and women from all branches of military service, who sacrificed for America and then went on to be leaders in their communities and professions. 

Asked what his service meant to him, SN Cowart said, “I consider my military service one of the greatest honors of my life. It taught me confidence, discipline, and a deep respect for the value of human life. Serving in uniform is a sacred vow, an act of devotion and duty. My service reminds me that American soldiers willingly stand in harm’s way to protect the freedoms on which this nation was built.”

Cowart enlisted in the Navy in March 1966 and served for three years. As a machine gunner assigned to a riverine monitor gunboat operating in the Mekong Delta, he took part in heavy engagements alongside elements of the 9th Infantry Division near the village of Can Tho on July 15, 1968. During the fighting, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the boat, wounding him and another crew member with shrapnel. Suffering significant blood loss, he was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital ship for treatment before returning to his unit. His injuries were later recognized as qualifying combat wounds, earning him the Purple Heart.

Along with his Purple Heart, SN Cowart received the Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V,” and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Married and the father of two children, SN Cowart continued a distinguished life of public service after leaving the Navy by joining the Dallas Police Department, where he served on the Tactical/SWAT team. In 1985, he was selected by the mayor and chief of police to serve as the city’s liaison to the Asian refugee community in East Dallas. He secured a Meadows Foundation grant to open a police storefront in the neighborhood and hired and trained bilingual public service officers to support refugee families. Cowart also mobilized Vietnam veterans as volunteers and, with the help of his wife Melinda, founded the Blue Dragons Law Enforcement Explorer Post, which installed hundreds of peepholes and smoke alarms in refugee homes. His efforts helped establish some of the first citizenship ceremonies ever held within a refugee community in the United States. The couple received the 1010th Point of Light Award from President George H.W. Bush for their work with the Blue Dragons Explorer Post.

The Purple Heart Patriot Project provides an all-expenses paid trip to Purple Heart recipients from across the country to visit the museum dedicated as a tribute to their service and other historic sites connected with the Purple Heart. Located just north of West Point, New York, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is housed near the site where General George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in 1782 during the Revolutionary War. The Badge, a purple cloth cut in the shape of a heart, was the forerunner of today’s Purple Heart medal. These powerful visits provide a unique opportunity for our Purple Heart veterans to connect with other recipients and experience the appreciation of a grateful nation committed to ensuring their courage and sacrifice is remembered for generations to come. Project Missions are supported by individual, foundation, and corporate donations.

In addition to creation of the museum, the National Purple Heart Honor Mission was instrumental in the creation of the Purple Heart Forever stamp, and the organization behind the U.S. Mint’s official Purple Heart Commemorative Coin series, which was issued by the United States Mint in 2022. Today, the organization is developing the National Purple Heart Traveling Tribute and Education Center, which will tour the country bringing the stories of our heroes’ service and sacrifice to communities across the nation.

Those wishing to learn more about the National Purple Heart Honor Mission or donate to sponsor the trip for our Purple Heart heroes should visit www.PurpleHeartMission.org.  

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PURPLE HEART HONOR MISSION

The National Purple Heart Honor Mission is an approved 501(c)3 non-profit organization, whose strategic objective is to pay tribute to our nation’s combat wounded and killed in action through special outreach and educational programming. Through Purple Heart Patriot Project Missions, celebration of National Purple Heart Day and other public events and programs, we engage people of all ages by telling the stories of our nation’s heroes. Learn more and support their efforts at www.PurpleHeartMission.org.