National Purple Heart Hall of Honor
374 Temple Hill Road Route 300
New Windsor, NY 12584
- General Information: (845) 561-1765
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New York's Hudson River Valley honors the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart. The Hall of Honor is co-located with the New Windsor Cantonment, which was occupied by the Continental Army during the final months of the American Revolutionary War. The Hall of Honor is located here to commemorate the awarding of the Purple Heart to 136 local World War I veterans on these same grounds May 28, 1932. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have been killed or wounded by enemy action and is America's oldest military decoration.
The Hall of Honor is the first in the nation dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of the estimated 1.8 million recipients of this award it is believed there have been since its creation in 1932. The mission of the Hall of Honor is to collect, preserve and share the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across all conflicts for which the award has been available. This is best demonstrated through the Roll of Honor, an electronic database where visitors can search for Purple Heart recipients or view a changing selection of Featured Recipients. The Roll of Honor can be viewed at the Hall of Honor or on-line at www.thepurpleheart.com.
As there is no comprehensive list of Purple Heart recipients in existence, the Roll of Honor is an effort to develop as comprehensive a list as possible. Enrollments are voluntary, and come from recipients, their families or friends. Visitors who are recipients, or who know of recipients are encouraged to enroll in the Roll of Honor. Information on enrollment can be obtained by contacting the Hall.
Although it is only a fraction of the estimated total number of awards, the Roll of Honor has considerable depth and breadth. It currently contains recipients from all fifty states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, Samoa and the Philippines. The Roll of Honor also contains the names of recipients who have served from the Civil War to today. For more information or to enroll a Purple Heart recipient, please call 845-561-1765 or 877-284-6667, or by visiting the website: www.thepurpleheart.com.
THE HALL OF HONOR GALLERIES:
The Galleries take visitors through the entire Purple Heart Journey:
- Where the Journey Begins: From entering the service to being deployed.
- The Day of the Incident: The incident that results in the person being awarded the Purple Heart Care and treatment: The initial care and treatment, from the battlefield to the hospital
- Road to recovery: The Journey from injury to the return home or to service that can take many forms
- Ultimate Sacrifice: This space honors those who lost their lives
THE PURPLE HEART JOURNEY INTERACTIVES
Throughout our galleries there are Purple Heart Journey Interactive stations which follow featured recipients throughout their Journey: From entering service, to the day of the incident, during care and treatment, on the road to recovery, or to the ultimate sacrifice. Visitors will experience this journey through stories, letters, documents, images, audio and video clips of Purple Heart recipients sharing their stories. In addition, there are Personal Story cases highlighting six extraordinary Purple Heart recipients.
For more information, please see the Collections Exhibits link on this page
Hours of Operation
Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sundays, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Please call ahead and speak to site staff for our Holiday Schedule, (845) 561-1765.Veterans DayMonday November 11, 2024The Hall of Honor will be open.
WHERE THE JOURNEY BEGINS
This gallery features stories, interactives, images and a short film about deployment. It represents the path from entering service, through training and deployment as well as the following features:
- Timeline corridor: offers a photographic representation of America's major 20th and 21st century military conflicts, beginning with WWI and concluding with Operation Iraqi Freedom. Each conflict is separated by a case highlighting one of the five branches of service
- The timeline interactive at the end of the timeline offers information about the full range of conflicts for which there are known or possible Purple Heart recipients
- Deployment Film: This approximately 11-minute silent film features images of military personnel being deployed overseas, from WWI to the present
- Temporary Exhibit: The Hall of Honor has a Temporary Exhibit case which offers us the opportunity to provide rotating, subject focused exhibits. The current exhibit highlights the contributions of Chaplains during the Purple Heart journey.
- Serpentine Wall:The Wall offers images of entering service and initial training
- Changing Nature of the Combatant: Uniforms and equipment representing the evolution of the uniforms and equipment of service personnel. The Interactive kiosks offer detailed information about the artifacts on display.
THE ROLL OF HONOR
Visitors may sit at one of the six computer stations and access The Purple Heart Roll of Honor by engaging with our interactive computer database. The Roll of Honor is an ongoing work in progress, as there is no comprehensive list of Purple Heart recipients. The Roll of Honor does represent all 50 States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Samoa, the Philippines and the District of Columbia. There are recipients from the American Civil War through today.
THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT
This gallery features cases highlighting the day of incident through images, documents, letters and personal recollections of Purple Heart recipients.
- The Changing Nature of Warfare Case: This case represents the changing nature of the weapons and equipment of war from the Civil War to today. The Interactive kiosks offer detailed information about the artifacts on display.
- UH1-H Helicopter: The UH-1H model on display is an original helicopter. Although it is not clear if it was used in Vietnam, the model is correct for the 1968-1970 time period we are interpreting in the display. It is configured for Medical evacuation or "Dust Off" as it would have been called at that time.
- Evacuation Film: Set in the helicopter the video has ambient sounds to accompany the visual journey of evacuating the wounded from the battlefield. It represents a timeline from the Civil war to the present.
CARE AND TREATMENT
This area presents images, documents, stories and artifacts highlighting the nature of care and treatment of the wounded over our Civil war through today timeline.
- Changing Nature of Care Case: The artifacts in this case are highlights of medical equipment, medications, prosthetics and surgical equipment. The Interactive kiosks offer detailed information about the artifacts on display.
ROAD TO RECOVERY
This area provides the visitor to learn about how recipients deal with the long-term consequences of their injuries.
- The Lenticular Wall: This wall offers "then and now" images of 36 Purple Heart recipients. It is designed to let the visitor understand that Purple Heart recipients are all around us as family, neighbors and friends.
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
This gallery area commemorates Purple Heart recipients who have lost their lives due to enemy action.
- Ultimate Sacrifice Interactive: The interactive provides interviews with Gold Star* family members, voice-talent readings of letters home as well as images and documents and commemorations for those who lost their lives.
- *A Gold Star lapel pin is given to family members of those who were killed by enemy action. It derives from the Gold star banner that was formerly hung in the front window of a house to indicate the death of a son or daughter caused by enemy action.
- Serpentine Wall: This wall highlights the experiences of mourning and commemoration of those who have lost their lives.
Amenities Information
- Amenities
- Gift Shop
- Picnic Area
- Tours
- Visitor Center
- Resources
- The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor