My great-grandfather, Captain Blewett Cotton, won a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star as a testament to his perseverance and bravery while fighting in WWII. The backstory to how he won the medals isn’t clearly stated, as he was known for being a very humble man and didn’t like to flaunt his achievements. However, my uncle wrote a book about him that includes many of his stories while Blewett was a soldier in WWII. For example, we know that he won the Bronze Star to honor his showcase of bravery and valor while overrunning Germans during a battle and taking 20 German prisoners of war. His Purple Heart, on the other hand, we don't know much about. There is no official written document that we have, saying that the heart even belongs to him in the first place. Apparently, he just had it in his war chest, which is still evidence that it belongs to him, which my family believes. Regardless of whether he won any awards, my great-grandfather’s sacrifice exemplifies my family’s love and dedication to our country as well as the defense of democracy all over the world. His sacrifice is what makes me proud to be an American and to be part of the American identity. He showed me that part of being an American means sacrificing things for the good of others. 

– MJ

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