DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Just days before Independence Day, a symbol of sacrifice was finally returned home.
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs reunited a lost Purple Heart medal with the family of a World War II veteran at the World War II Memorial in Decatur on Wednesday.
The medal belonged to Army Private John L. Moore, a D-Day survivor who earned the Purple Heart after being wounded during combat in Europe. On Wednesday, Frerichs presented the honor to Moore’s youngest brother, Jerry Moore, and granddaughter, Angie Holliger.
"I was really glad to receive this. I'm keeping it for the rest of my life," Jerry said.
The effort is part of Operation Purple Heart, a first-of-its-kind initiative led by Frerichs to return lost military medals found in abandoned safe deposit boxes. Moore’s is the 15th Purple Heart recovered and returned through the program.
"They [military medals] don't deserve to be sitting in a cold box. They deserve to be in the warm embrace of family," said Frerichs.
John Moore was just 20 years old when he stormed the beaches of Normandy during the 1944 D-Day invasion. Weeks later, he was injured by shrapnel in his right wrist, left knee and lower leg. Despite his injuries and resulting nerve damage, Moore returned to the front lines and served in the Rhineland before being honorably discharged.
Moore went on to live in Peoria, Illinois, with his wife, Grace, raising five children. Though he lived with chronic pain from his war wounds, he remained active in his community, working various jobs and participating in local veteran organizations until he died in 2002 at age 78.
“My brother was very proud of his military service, and it is very nice to have this Purple Heart back in the family,” said Jerry, a veteran himself.
The medal had been sitting in a Peoria-area safe deposit box that was turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office in 2001. Like many unclaimed items, it was collected by the treasurer’s I-CASH program, which safeguards unclaimed property until rightful owners or heirs can be found.
Frerichs said returning military honors is one of the most difficult tasks. There is no national database of medal recipients, and many of the awards date back decades.
For a full list of Purple Heart medals returned and awaiting return, click here.
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