Retired from service in the U.S. Army, Colt Bulot was active with airborne operations for many years. Having earned Belgian and Italian Airborne wings, Colt Bulot was also decorated with the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat.
The oldest U.S. military decoration still in existence, the Purple Heart was preceded by the Fidelity Medallion, which was established by the Continental Congress in 1780. Known as the Badge of Military Merit at its inception in 1782, the decoration was designed by George Washington as a cloth purple heart and reflected both “extraordinary fidelity and essential service,” as well as “unusual gallantry in battle.” This criterion was pioneering for the era, as a majority of military awards up to that time were reserved for officers who had achieved victory, rather than rank-and-file soldiers.
The Purple Heart took its present name and look in 1932, with General Douglas MacArthur working on the update project as part of George Washington’s birthday bicentennial celebration. The renamed Purple Heart was now positioned as a combat decoration that recognized solders who were killed or wounded in combat, as well as those who performed commendable action in battle.
With approximately 1.8 million Purple Heart medals having been awarded over the centuries, the only U.S. president who received the decoration was John F. Kennedy.
