To mark the 222nd birthday of the United States Coast Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will be offering a free boating safety class to children ages 3-9 in Kissimmee at the Museum of Military History, 5210 W. U.S. Highway 192 at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Utilizing the “Boating Fun — Safety on the Water” program, certified instructors will teach children what they should know before boarding a boat, such as how to swim, swim with a buddy, swim under adult supervision, always wearing a PFD (life jacket), the equipment that should be taken on a boat and what to do if a boat capsizes. Activities included trying on various sized life jackets and a hands-on hypothermia demonstration.

Self-guided tours of the museum also will be offered immediately after the class at no cost. Each child must be accompanied by a parent.

The instructor for the program is Jim Nickles, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary member. Each child will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the one-hour class. There is no fee for the class but enrollment is limited in size so early registration is recommended. Call the museum at 407-507-3894 to sign-up. For further information contact Nickles at 407-396-6000 ext. 5017.

Purple Heart Day

The Museum of Military History is honoring Purple Heart Day by offering free admission to the museum Tuesday for recipients of Purple Hearts and their families.

In 1782, in Newburgh, New York, Gen. George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, created the “Badge for Military Merit,” a decoration consisting of a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk, edged with a narrow binding of silver, with the word “merit” stitched across the face in silver.

The badge was to be presented to soldiers for “any singularly meritorious action” and permitted its wearer to pass guards and sentinels without challenge. The honoree’s name and regiment were also to be inscribed in a “Book of Merit.”

Washington’s “Purple Heart” was awarded to only three known soldiers during the Revolutionary War: Elijah Churchill, William Brown and Daniel Bissell, Jr. The “Book of Merit” was lost, and the decoration was largely forgotten until 1927, when Gen. Charles P. Summerall, the U.S. Army chief of staff, sent an unsuccessful draft bill to Congress to “revive the Badge of Military Merit.”

In 1931, Summerall’s successor, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, took up the cause, hoping to reinstate the medal in time for the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth. On Feb. 22, 1932, Washington’s 200th birthday, the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the “Order of the Purple Heart.”

In addition to aspects of Washington’s original design, the new Purple Heart also displays a bust of Washington and his coat of arms.

The Order of the Purple Heart, the oldest American military decoration for military merit, is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who have been killed or wounded in action against an enemy.

It is also awarded to soldiers who have suffered.