Parlatore entered the Air Force in August 1966 and served for the next twenty-six years. As a member of the 391st Tactical Fighter Squadron at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base in Vietnam, he flew over 300 combat missions in the F‑4. He earned his Purple Heart after being shot down by anti‑aircraft fire while supporting a Special Forces camp under siege. He ejected at low altitude and high speed, sustaining multiple injuries before being rescued.
Read MoreA local Purple Heart recipient has been chosen to be one of the nation’s 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. U.S. Army Sgt. Ryan Sabinish will represent his fellow Purple Heart heroes as Minnesota’s representative at the multi-day tribute to the courage and sacrifice of America’s combat wounded, according to a press release.
Read MorePalmieri entered the Marine Corps on January 7, 1966, and served with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, known as “The Walking Dead,” in Vietnam, including during Operation Buffalo.
Read MoreRamirez entered the Army on October 20, 1967, and served with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, A-4/12, during the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. In February 1969, with just ten days remaining in his year-long tour, his unit came under heavy enemy attack while he was guarding ammunition beneath a bridge.
Read MoreSabinish enlisted in the Army in September 2003 and served for the next eight years, taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A past Rochester, Minnesota, Chapter Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and former State Commander for the Minnesota Military Order of the Purple Heart, he has long been recognized for his dedication to serving his fellow combat-wounded veterans.
Read MoreGoff enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on June 1, 1978, serving at George AFB (California), Osan AFB (Korea), Beale AFB (California), Bitburg AFB (Germany), and Eglin AFB (Florida). He earned his Purple Heart after being wounded in the June 25, 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Read MoreJacksonville resident and decorated veteran retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr. has been chosen as one of the 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees. The Purple Heart Patriot Project is a program of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, and Capers will represent his fellow Purple Heart heroes as the national representative at a multi-day tribute in 2026.
Read MoreGalant entered the Army on April 1, 1969, serving with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam
Read MoreWalsh entered the Army in June 2008 and has served with the 4th Infantry Division and the 10th Mountain Division during Operation Enduring Freedom, including tours at Fort Carson and Fort Polk. He earned his first Purple Heart in 2010 following a dismounted IED attack, and his second Purple Heart in 2013 after being wounded in hand‑to‑hand combat.
Read MoreHoehn enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 1965 and served for the next three years. As a Marine serving in Operation Liberty and Operation Macon, Sgt Roger Hoehn saw intense combat in Vietnam. On June 11, during Operation Liberty near the village of Dia Loc, a mine explosion severely wounded his squad, costing one Marine both legs above the knee and leaving Sgt Hoehn with shrapnel injuries to his knee and other parts of his body. Just two weeks later, on June 24 near the Song Thu Bon River west of Da Nang, a Viet Cong fighter threw a grenade into his forward listening post. The blast left him with a dozen or so additional wounds before he and his team returned fire.
Read MoreWard enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 2001 and served for the next five years. As a member of the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, Ward was deployed to foreign combat zones during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Read MoreKnott enlisted in the Army in November 1996 and served for the next eighteen years. As a member of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, Knott served two tours in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In March 2009, during a routine night patrol in Baqubah, Iraq, an insurgent threw a grenade that detonated between SFC Knott and his vehicle Commander.
Read MoreBALTIMORE — He grew up in Baltimore before joining the U.S. Marines and serving in Vietnam. Now Major James Capers Jr. has been chosen as one of the nation’s 2026 Purple Heart Patriot Project honorees.
Read MoreGuarnieri enlisted in the Army in September 1967 and served for the next thirty-eight years. As a member of the 1st Cavalry Division, Guarnieri did a tour in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive of 1968, serving near the A Shau Valley. In April 1968, Guarnieri was wounded in action when a grenade went off several feet from his position. The blast claimed the life of one soldier and left Guarnieri and several others wounded.
Read MoreBorn in South Carolina to a family of sharecroppers, James Capers Jr later moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and upon graduation of high school he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was sent to Vietnam in August 1966. While serving, Capers was selected to join the elite Force Recon Marine unit where he excelled, breaking training records, participating in 64 long range reconnaissance patrols and five major campaigns in Vietnam.
Read MoreDan Clarino and Richard Lay were both injured in combat during the Vietnam War, and both were awarded the Purple Heart…Their latest effort is to create a mobile Purple Heart Museum, which will bring the same history inside the halls in Newburgh to locations all over the country.
Read MoreThey represent the very best of our nation, having put their lives on the line for America and the freedoms we all cherish. Now, they’re getting the trip of the lifetime from a grateful nation. This Veterans Day, the National Purple Hear Honor Mission is proud to announce the honorees selected for 2026 Purple Heart Patriot.
Read MoreColonel Hugh Robinson, Board Member for the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, joined National Defnese Radio Show to to the show to discuss the organization, service, and some exciting news that the National Purple Heart Honor Mission is unveiling this week.
Read MoreAs “America 250” celebrations prepare to kick into high gear, the National Purple Heart Honor Mission is preparing to hit the road to bring a state-of-the-art mobile exhibition telling the stories of our nation’s Purple Heart heroes to communities across America. The organization has announced that it is advancing the design of the National Purple Heart Traveling Tribute and Education Center, which is expected to launch early next year.
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