9 Renowned Personalities Awarded the Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a distinguished medal given to U.S. military personnel wounded or killed in action by enemy forces. While many are aware of its significance, few may realize that notable individuals, such as actor Charles Bronson and author Kurt Vonnegut, are among its recipients. This esteemed award traces its origins to General George Washington, who established it on August 7, 1782.

Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson became iconic through his roles in war films such as The Dirty Dozen (1967), but his military experience wasn’t just on-screen. In his early 20s, the Pennsylvania-born actor enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943.

Enlisting in the military allowed Bronson, the son of a coal miner, to leave behind the coal mines where he had worked as a teenager during the Great Depression. This path was far from the future he envisioned for himself as an aspiring actor and renowned tough guy.

Stationed in Guam, Bronson served as a gunner on a B-29 bomber, completing 25 combat missions. During one mission, he sustained injuries that earned him a Purple Heart. After his discharge in 1946, he worked painting stage backdrops for a Philadelphia theater company before landing his first film role in 1951 in the fittingly titled You’re in the Navy Now.

James Arness

When James Arness, star of Gunsmoke, was drafted into the Army in 1943, his dreams of becoming a fighter pilot were dashed. Standing at 6 feet 7 inches, he exceeded the maximum height requirement of 6 feet 2 inches for pilots, making it unsafe for him to fit into a plane's cockpit.

Instead, Arness served as a rifleman. His military service was cut short when he was injured in 1944 during the Battle of Anzio in Italy, sustaining machine gun wounds to his knee and lower leg. After surviving the attack, he was sent to Iowa, where he spent 18 months recovering in a military hospital. Despite enduring lifelong chronic pain from his injuries, he was honored with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his valor. Later, he utilized the GI Bill to study at Beloit College in Wisconsin, initially pursuing radio work before venturing to Hollywood.

James Garner

Fans of The Rockford Files or Maverick will recognize James Garner, but few may realize his extensive service in the Armed Forces. At just 16, Garner joined the Merchant Marines toward the end of WWII, though his time there was challenging due to severe seasickness. He later spent seven months in the National Guard before enlisting in the Army, where he served with the 24th Infantry for 14 months during the Korean War.

During his Army service, Garner was injured twice. The first injury occurred when shrapnel from a mortar round struck his hand and face. The second happened when U.S. fighter jets accidentally shot him in the buttocks as he sought cover in a foxhole. These incidents earned him two Purple Hearts, though the second award wasn’t presented until 32 years later.

James Jones

Though the film adaptation of The Thin Red Line was often overshadowed by Saving Private Ryan, it was notable for being based on a book by a WWII veteran. James Jones’s “war trilogy”—From Here to Eternity, The Thin Red Line, and Guadalcanal and Whistle—masterfully blends his real wartime experiences with fictional elements, leaving readers unsure where fact ends and fiction begins.

What is certain is that Jones joined the Army in 1939, served in the 25th Infantry, and was wounded on Guadalcanal, earning him a Purple Heart.

Kurt Vonnegut

Many admirers of Kurt Vonnegut are aware of his WWII service and his capture following the Battle of the Bulge, which inspired his renowned novel Slaughterhouse Five. He survived the American bombing of Dresden in February 1945 and was awarded a Purple Heart. Contrary to assumptions, his injury wasn’t from the bombing but rather, as he described, a “ridiculously minor” frostbite-related wound.

Ron Kovic

If you’ve watched the film or read Born on the Fourth of July, you’re already acquainted with the life of Ronald Lawrence Kovic. The book is his autobiography, detailing how he was inspired to join the Marines by John F. Kennedy’s iconic speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you.”

Kovic’s first tour of duty began in 1965, and he returned for a second tour in 1967. During this second deployment, he was severely injured while leading his squad across open terrain. Shot first in the right foot and then through the right shoulder, he was left paralyzed from the chest down. For his bravery, he was awarded a Bronze Star with V Device for valor and a Purple Heart.

After returning home, Kovic became a vocal peace activist, enduring 12 arrests for his protests. In 1974, he shared his story in Born on the Fourth of July. When Oliver Stone adapted the book into a film, Kovic co-wrote the screenplay. Remarkably, he won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay exactly 22 years after his life-altering injury in the war.

Oliver Stone

The acclaimed director not only crafted a film about a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient but also earned both medals during his own service in Vietnam. Like Kovic, Stone voluntarily enlisted in the Armed Forces, leaving Yale behind, and even requested deployment to Vietnam.

Stone sustained injuries twice during the war, earning the Purple Heart after being shot in the neck. Unsurprisingly, his experiences in Vietnam heavily influenced the creation of Platoon.

Rod Serling

Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling narrowly escaped death during WWII but didn’t emerge unharmed. While serving in the Philippines, he was injured multiple times, but the psychological scars from the violence he witnessed were far more profound. Haunted by nightmares and flashbacks, Serling channeled these experiences into his work, creating The Twilight Zone and penning many of its most iconic episodes.

Sergeant Stubby

Among the notable Purple Heart recipients is Sergeant Stubby, a celebrated K9 war hero and the most decorated dog of WWI. Stubby earned his Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel from a German grenade in the trenches. Despite his injury, he recovered and bravely returned to the battlefield to assist his fellow soldiers.

This article was originally published in 2012 and has been updated for 2024.