Puce Puce Puce is a dark red or purple brown color, a brownish purple or a "dark reddish brown." "Puce" is the French word for "flea". The color is said to be the color of bloodstains on linen or bedsheets, even after being laundered, from a flea's droppings, or after a flea has been crushed. The "Oxford English Dictionary" ("OED") dates the first English use of "puce" as a color to 1778. The name comes from the French word "puce", or flea, which comes from the Latin words for flea, "pulicem" or "pulex". According to the "Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology",
Purple Hearts Reunited received the Purple Heart himself. After returning to the United States in 2010, Fike took up the task of returning his 2009 Christmas gift to its original owner or his family. After returning the medal to the sister of the original recipient, a World War II veteran, Fike's subsequent research revealed numerous Purple Hearts and other medals available for sale or trade through online auction sites, at antique stores, flea markets, and pawnshops, and through other sources. He began acquiring as many as he could, attempting to track down the recipients or their families, and returning the awards whenever possible.