SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The Purple Heart, a military award created by George Washington in 1782, is received by those who were wounded or killed in action.

Luis Martinez, a three-time awardee of the Purple Heart, talked about the significance of receiving them and what they mean to him.

"I look at it a different way now," Martinez said. "It says more, you know, I'm here for a reason, and I need to utilize that reason. But for the longest time, it sat in the box. There are three in a box. It's a reminder that I'm home, but 47 are not. You know, why me, right? Now I know why, because the work I'm doing now to help other veterans in the community, and their families, is still promoting what they died for. They died for our freedoms and what we enjoy today, and if I don'

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