US President Donald Trump honored nearly 100 Purple Heart recipients at the White House on Thursday during a ceremony in the East Room marking National Purple Heart Day.Trump opened the event by recognizing the veterans in attendance and expressing his gratitude. “Everlasting thanks to you and your unbelievable families,” he said.The Purple Heart is the oldest US military award still in use. It is given to service members who are wounded or killed while engaging in enemy action or as a result of terrorism. According to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, more than 1.8 million medals have been awarded since the decoration was established in 1782. National Purple Heart Day is observed annually on August 7.Among those recognised Thursday were several veterans who gave Trump their own medals following an assassination attempt at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A shooter’s bullet had pierced the upper part of Trump’s right ear just days before the Republican National Convention. In the months that followed, some Purple Heart recipients presented their medals to him at campaign events.Three of those veterans who gave Trump their medals attended the White House event, according to a White House official. The White House also said that some of those recipients were later brought to Trump’s rallies so he could return the medals to them.Several senior officials attended the ceremony, including defense secretary Pete Hegseth, veterans affairs secretary Doug Collins, and Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Chris LaCivita, Trump’s former campaign co-manager, also attended. LaCivita, a Marine veteran, is himself a Purple Heart recipient.
