Alum Donates Purple Heart to UNCW

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — According to the press release, army veteran and alum David Buzzard ’18 presented his Purple Heart to UNCW during the annual Cape Fear Purple Heart dinner held Aug. 2 on the UNCW campus.  

The Purple Heart Medal is the oldest military decoration, previously known as the Badge of Military Merit, and was awarded to recognize heroic acts by troops during the Revolutionary War. Today, the Purple Heart Medal is awarded to those wounded or killed in action.  

Buzzard was wounded in 2011 during two combat tours in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device (IED). His donation of one of his two Purple Hearts was motivated by his desire to bring awareness “to a life of service to the fallen who made it back and ended up taking their own lives,” said Buzzard. He encouraged those in attendance to “always do better for our nation’s bravest” and continue to advocate for veterans and active service members.