Winner of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, James Webb Award for exemplary writing about the Marine Corps and Marine Corps life; How Can You Mend This Purple Heart is a riveting story of the physical, emotional and mental struggles of war-ravaged young boys. “Purple Heart” is a no-holds-barred, powerful and compassionate portrayal of young Americans who returned from the Vietnam War to the comforting and healing shelter of a military hospital; wounded, frightened and proud. The hospital, and the nearby streets and bars of south Philadelphia, become their home; and like any home, it serves as a place to gather, to belong, to struggle, to find support and ultimately, a place to heal. And every day of healing would bring them closer to the day they could go home. A day they would cherish--and fear.