Twelve Muskegon soldiers who served in World War I are being honored with Purple Heart medals. The Lakeshore Museum Center will accept the medals into its collection.
The posthumous awards recognize 12 Muskegon soldiers, according to MLive. A museum event is planned to honor the men.
The museum is honored to accept the 12 Purple Hearts, according to the outlet's report.
Why It Took 108 Years
The delay traces back to the Purple Heart's own complicated history. The modern medal did not exist during World War I at all — Army Chief of Staff Gen. Douglas MacArthur revived it on Feb. 22, 1932, the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth, according to the National Archives. The medal was made retroactively available for eligible World War I service, and an estimated 320,000 World War I personnel eventually received it nationwide, per Medals of America. The 12 Muskegon soldiers are also receiving the medal retroactively.
Unlike most military decorations, which require a written recommendation and a superior officer's nomination, the Purple Heart requires no nomination at all. It is entitlement-based, awarded once official confirmation of an enemy-inflicted combat wound or death is established, the same report explains.
A Historian's Eight-Year Paper Chase
Finding that proof fell to Dr. Chris Petras, who led the effort to secure the medals after researching Purple Heart eligibility for soldiers across West Michigan, per the MLive report. His research has helped secure posthumous awards. Petras began digging into World War I records while producing a book and documentary marking the 100th anniversary of American Legion Post 28 in Grand Haven, and expanded his focus after discovering that local namesake casualties from the war had never officially received the medal, according to The Lakeshore.
That research ran into one of the biggest obstacles in American military archives: a 1973 fire at a building holding relevant records. With some original files gone, researchers have used morning reports and hospital records in World War I and other burned-file cases, according to a National Archives article. In 2024, Petras was awarded the Michigan Distinguished Service Medal on behalf of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with the Michigan Army National Guard's Minute Man Award, for his archival work, in a ceremony held at Michigan State University, the Lakeshore reported.
West Michigan's World War I History
West Michigan soldiers served during World War I, and the 126th Infantry Regiment is part of the region's military history.
What To Expect At The Ceremony
The ceremony is expected to include a roll-call reading of Muskegon residents who have received the Purple Heart from World War I through the present day.
The Lakeshore Museum Center will accept the medals into its collection.
