Editing Purple Heart (section)

===Former eligibility=== 
From 1942 to 1997, non-military personnel serving or closely affiliated with the armed forces—as government employees, [[Red Cross]] workers, [[war correspondent]]s, and various other professions—were eligible to receive the Purple Heart whether in peacetime or armed conflicts. Among the earliest individuals to receive the award were nine [[Honolulu Fire Department]] (HFD) firefighters who were killed or wounded in peacetime while fighting fires at [[Hickam Field]] during the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]].<ref>{{cite news| last= Antone | first= Rod | title= Rescuing history | date= 24 December 2005 | newspaper= Honolulu Star-Bulletin | url= http://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/12/24/news/story01.html | access-date= 18 November 2013}}</ref> In total, about 100 men and women who served as non-military personnel received the award, the most famous being newspaperman [[Ernie Pyle]], who was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously by the Army after being killed by Japanese machine gun fire in the Pacific Theater near the end of World War II. Before his death, Pyle had seen and experienced combat in the European Theater while accompanying and writing about infantrymen for readers back home.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0803.html |title=Ernie Pyle Is Killed on Ie Island; Foe Fired When All Seemed Safe |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=19 April 1945 |access-date=7 June 2013}}</ref> Those serving in the [[United States Merchant Marine|Merchant Marine]] are not eligible for the award. During World War II, members of this service who met the Purple Heart criteria received a [[Merchant Marine Mariner's Medal]] instead.

The most recent Purple Hearts presented to non-military personnel occurred after the [[Khobar Towers bombing|terrorist attacks at Khobar Towers]], Saudi Arabia, in 1996—for their injuries, about 40 [[United States federal civil service|U.S. civil service]] employees received the award.

However, in 1997, at the urging of the [[Military Order of the Purple Heart]], Congress passed legislation prohibiting future awards of the Purple Heart to non-military personnel. Civilian employees of the U.S. Department of Defense who are killed or wounded as a result of hostile action may receive the new [[Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom|Defense of Freedom Medal]]. This award was created shortly after the [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]].