Purple Heart attributed to James A. Marzitello

Historical Significance

This medal is a 1944 issue Purple Heart. The Purple Heart initially began as the Badge of Military Merit, created on August 7th, 1782 by George Washington (then Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army). It was last awarded on June 10th, 1783, having only been awarded to three soldiers, all of whom were Sergeants from Connecticut (Sergeants Elijah Churchill (1755-1841), William Brown (1761-1804) and Daniel Bissell (1754-1821)). The Badge of Military Merit was suggested for revival in 1927, but this did not come to pass and, in 1932, the Purple Heart was first awarded. Initially, it was awarded for meritorious service and for combat wounds (replacing the Wound Chevrons and the Army Wound Ribbon which were the traditional awards pre-1932). This changed, however, during the Second World War, as the Legion of Merit was introduced to honour meritorious service instead. 

The medal consists of a gold-coloured heart surrounding a celluloid (Pre-WW2 variants used purple glass enamel) purple heart featuring the side-profile of George Washington, shown in his General's uniform. The symbol shown at the top of the heart is the coat of arms of George Washington, and the reverse of the medal features the words "FOR MILITARY MERIT" accompanied by the recipient's name: James A. Marzitello. The box is known as a "coffin-style" presentation case, featuring the words "PURPLE HEART" stamped in gold leaf on two centred lines (as opposed to later cases, which often had the words on one line). The gold-embossed wavy border around the text is iconic to the Second World War production runs by the Quartermaster Corps. The box is made out of a wooden frame covered in a dark navy blue leatherette. Unfortunately, this particular piece does not contain the ribbon bar typically found with the medal, and we were unable to source it.

Interestingly, during the final months of World War Two, the U.S. planned Operation Downfall, a massive invasion of the Japanese mainland which was scheduled to begin in November 1945, and planners estimated hundreds of thousands of casualties. To make up for this grim estimate, the government ordered the mass production of 1 and a half million Purple Hearts and their matching presentation boxes. However, as the U.S. never invaded Japan (due to the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which essentially forced a Japanese Surrender), leaving a surplus of nearly 500,000 medals. Due to this, the U.S military put the surplus into storage and continued to award them until far later, even until the Vietnam War. 

This purple heart was awarded to Private James Anthony Marzitello, whose military ID number was 32216158. He was born on July 25th, 1915 in New York, and worked as a semiskilled structural and ornamental metalworker in his civilian life. He enlisted on February 14th, 1942, in Camp Upton, Yaphank, New York (which is located on Long Island). He was 26 years old, held an 8th-Grade education (like most blue-collar workers of the time) and signed up only two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. He began receiving Combat Infantry Pay around May 23, 1944, meaning that he was part of the historical spearhead and was likely in Normandy during, or shortly after D-Day. 

He was wounded in combat in early September 1944, possibly during the Battle of Brest or the advance towards the Siegfried Line, and was admitted to a hospital in Wheeler, Georgia on September 18th, 1944. Because of his wounding, he was awarded this Purple Heart. By September 23rd, 1944, the Army determined that the severity of his wounds meant that he could never fight again, and two officers (1st Lieutenant James L. Woodham (Medical Administrative Corps) and Captain Ernest Sweeny (Commanding Officer overseeing the detachment)) signed his final paperwork and honourably discharged him from the military. Because of his service overseas, he was entitled to the highest possible discharge bonus, which was $300, and his entire total payout was $1,239.13 (over $21,600 today). 

He married Mary Iavarone (b. 26 Nov. 1912) in New York in 1943, which was right in the middle of his military service, and was likely whilst he was home on leave having finished his basic training and before deployment. Uniquely, Mary was 3 years older than her husband, which was uncommon for that time period. On his military payroll sheet, there is a line that shows a voluntary $22 deduction from his monthly pay that was sent to his home, showing that he gave up nearly half of his income to ensure that his new bride was taken care of in Queens whilst he was fighting in France. He lived on Vernon Boulevard, which was right along the East River waterfront in Long Island. In the 1940s, this area was a hub of factories, railyards and working-class tenements, the exact environment where a skilled ironworker such as Marzitello would have lived. By the time of the 1950 census, James and Mary had two children, Joseph (b. 1946) and Antimo (b. 1949). The census states that James was working as a mail handler in the U.S. Post Office, and Mary was managing the household full-time, like millions of other women in the post-war era. 

In Memoriam

James A. Marzitello (1915-1988)

James A. Marzitello passed away on March 11th, 1988 at the age of 72. Unfortunately, we could not locate his obituary.

Rest In peace.

Mary Iavarone (1912-1990)

Mary Iavarone passed away on August 18th 1990 around the age of 77. Unfortunately, we could not locate her obituary.

Rest in peace.

Select References & Further Reading:

• National Personnel Records Center. Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) documentation provided to the archive. St. Louis, MO.

• National Archives and Records Administration. 1950 United States Federal Census, Microfilm Publication T628; State: New York; County: Queens; Community: New York City (Queens Borough); Election District: 41-450, Sheet No. 71.

• National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. Army Enlistment Records (1938-1946). Box Number: 05330; Film Reel 2.28.

• War Department, Adjutant General's Office. U.S. Army Payroll and Discharge Rosters (September 1944). Detachment of Patients, Station Hospital, SCU 1477, Camp Wheeler, Georgia.

• National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The Legacy of the Purple Heart.

• Borch, Fred L. For Military Merit: Recipients of the Purple Heart. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.

• Foster, Frank C. Military Medals of America: An Illustrated History and Guide. Medals of America Press.

• Foster, Frank C. Medals, Badges and Insignia of the United States Army. Medals of America Press.

• Spencer, William. Medals: The Researcher's Guide. Bloomsbury Publishing.

• U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Museum. The Quartermaster Review.

• Giangreco, D. M. Hell to Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947.

Header image: American troops approaching Omaha Beach on Normandy Beach, D-Day. Photographer Unknown; 1944. Image sourced via Public Domain.