San Mateo Sun

The number of living Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, or POW Medal recipients in San Mateo County, California for fiscal year 2017 was 81, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Purple Heart is given to U.S. military personnel wounded or killed while serving in the Armed Forces.

The Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for military service, is bestowed on members who distinguish themselves by bravery in combat.

The POW Medal is awarded to those taken prisoner and held captive while involved in action against an enemy of the United States.

County	Purple Heart or Medal of Honor or POW Recipients
Alameda	163
Amador	12
Butte	67
Calaveras	20
Contra Costa	162
El Dorado	38
Fresno	159
Glenn	11
Humboldt	39
Imperial	33
Kern	175
Kings	30
Lake	25
Lassen	12
Los Angeles	1,123
Madera	31
Marin	44
Mendocino	19
Merced	51
Monterey	141
Napa	24
Nevada	42
Orange	496
Placer	95
Riverside	564
Sacramento	359
San Benito	12
San Bernardino	481
San Diego	1,093
San Francisco	81
San Joaquin	123
San Luis Obispo	78
San Mateo	81
Santa Barbara	61
Santa Clara	188
Santa Cruz	31
Shasta	73
Siskiyou	13
Solano	120
Sonoma	96
Stanislaus	100
Sutter	27
Tehama	32
Tulare	82
Tuolumne	20
Ventura	135
Yolo	29
Yuba	23

*As of fiscal year 2017

**The VA did not include data for counties where the number of living medal recipients was less than 10

Source: US Department of Veterans Affairs