The cemetery where Abraham Lincoln rests has a new monument, honoring those awarded a Purple Heart. It was dedicated and turned over to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency yesterday, on National Purple Heart Day.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."
That quote, from Shakespeare's "Henry V" is inscribed on the new granite monument.
It's also etched with a drawing of the medal -- a heart, emblazoned with a profile of George Washington, that hangs from a purple ribbon. The memorial is meant to honor those given the military's oldest award, which is given to troops killed or wounded in combat.
Private fundraising led by a chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart began in 2012. The completed vision now stands in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery, near other military monuments.
