Operation Purple Heart

The Mission to Return Purple Heart Medals to Their Rightful Owners

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs launched Operation Purple Heart in November 2021 to help return unclaimed Purple Heart medals to their rightful owners and families. Each medal was found inside a bank safe deposit box that the bank determined was abandoned because the owner had not accessed it in several years. As a result, the contents of each box were turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office.

Voices From Operation Purple Heart Medal Return Ceremonies

“Having my Dad’s Purple Heart in my hands means more than words can say.”– Debbie Ernest, who received the Purple Heart of her father,
Marine Corps Private First-Class Charles John Alexander. Read Alexander’s Purple Heart Story

“What I do know is he would be so proud that he had us here to accept it in his honor.”– Sarah Wiest, who received the Purple Heart of her father, Army Specialist Kenneth R. Wiest Watch Wiest’s Purple Heart Story

“There’s no explaining what the medals mean to me, really, for my family.”– Purple Heart recipient Harold Walker, who served as an Army infantryman in the Vietnam War. Read Walker’s Purple Heart Story

“I’m just really proud of my dad, and I’m so happy to get this back so I can share it with my children.”– Barbara Reynolds, who received the Purple Heart of her father, Korean War veteran Cpl. John W. Naylor. Read Naylor’s Purple Heart Story

To view more of our returned Purple Heart videos, please visit our YouTube

Can You Help Us Return These Lost Purple Hearts to Their Owners?

Military medals are among the hardest items to return because neither the U.S. Armed Forces nor the federal government maintains a single, complete list of all recipients. The medals listed below are currently awaiting reunion with their rightful owners or families.

As of November 10, 2025

  • Robert Cawthon: Submitted to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office on Nov. 1, 1992, from Fifth Third Bank in Oak Park. Records contain conflicting information about his residence. Available information suggests the Purple Heart recipient served in the infantry.
  • Raymond Wilson: Submitted on Nov. 13, 1995. Raymond lived in Chicago and banked with Chicago Community Bank, which was later sold.
  • Lawrence M. Burns: Submitted on Nov. 5, 1997. Lawrence lived in Homewood and banked with Advance Bank in Homewood. Records also suggest a relationship with Homewood Federal Savings and Loan. More recent information indicates Mr. Burns may now live in a remote area of California.
  • Bernice Smith: Submitted on Nov. 18, 2002. Bernice lived in Oak Park and banked with MB Financial Bank in Oak Park, which was later sold.
  • Michelle Steward / Patricia VanHasselaere: Submitted on Oct. 31, 2018. It is believed they lived in Round Lake. A will for Patricia VanHasselaere was also found in the safe deposit box.
  • Nancy Johnston: Submitted in 2021. The box also contained a Good Conduct Medal and an Air Force Medal. Nancy apparently lived in Frankfort and likely banked at Old Plank Trail Community Bank in Frankfort.

Can you help us? Contact Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs office by email at Claimantconnect@illinoistreasurer.gov.

A Purple Heart’s Journey Home: We’ve Help Reunite These Medals with Families

As of November 10, 2025

  • Nov. 10, 2025 (Oak Lawn) – World War II – Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned a Purple Heart to the niece of James R. Bennett. Bennett was wounded twice in Europe, first on Aug. 13, 1944, in France, and again on Dec. 13, 1944, in Germany. He returned to the United States in December 1945 to his wife, Ann, and they made Oak Lawn their lifelong home. A few years after the war, the Bennetts had a daughter, Susan. She suffered from encephalitis and developed disabilities so severe that she was not expected to survive beyond early childhood. Susan was their only child, and she lived into her 50s. Bennett died in 1990 at age 76. His wife died seven years later. Bennett’s niece, Patty Knies, became Susan’s legal guardian. Frerichs presented the Purple Heart to Knies during a ceremony at the Johnson-Phelps VFW Post 5220 in Oak Lawn. Bennett previously served as a post commander in Oak Lawn.
  • August 21, 2025 (Marion) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to the great-niece of Stephen J. Grabowski. Grabowski earned the medal on April 15, 1945, during the closing days of fighting in Europe. He was a 27-year-old rifleman in Company B, 473rd Infantry, and was in his third year of service. His unit took part in Operation Grapeshot, the final Allied attack of the Italian Campaign. A German grenade struck his bunker and buried him in debris, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Germany surrendered the following month, and the war ended later that summer. Grabowski, the son of Polish immigrants in Chicago, returned home the next year and lived at Hines VA Hospital, where he died of kidney failure in 1974 at age 56. He also received a Bronze Star.
  • July 2, 2025 (Decatur, Illinois) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to the brother and granddaughter of John L. Moore, one of two brothers who served in the war. A D-Day survivor, Moore was wounded a few weeks later by shrapnel in his right wrist, left knee, and lower right leg. The 20-year-old recovered and returned to the front lines, including in the Rhineland. Nerve damage later limited his hand’s use, and he returned to Illinois in 1946, back to Peoria, where he grew up. He and his wife, Grace, married and had five children. His war injuries caused chronic pain, especially in his legs, but he continued working in the trades, including carpentry and roofing. He also worked as a truck driver, postal worker, and maintenance supervisor before retiring in 1986. He was active in military organizations and served as a past commander for posts in Peoria Heights and East Peoria. He died in 2002 at age 78 after a heart attack.
  • June 12, 2025 (Geneva, Illinois) – World War II – Frerichs returned a Purple Heart to the grandson of Edward Gorski Jr. Gorski fought in the Battle of the Bulge and earned the medal during a nighttime mortar attack that was described as reminiscent of a scene from Band of Brothers. On May 2, 1945, he sought refuge in a foxhole when a fire lit by fellow soldiers for warmth drew enemy fire. The 19-year-old survived wounds to his face and nearly lost an eye. A Chicago native, he died of a heart attack in 1993 at his home in Westmont at age 67. The medal was returned to his grandson, Shawn Gorski, who is also an Army veteran.
  • May 5, 2025 (Atlanta, Georgia) – World War II – Returned a Purple Heart to the grandson of Henry Van Der Noord, one of four brothers who served in the war. Van Der Noord was wounded while fighting to help liberate the Philippines under General Douglas MacArthur, whom he greatly admired. He served with the 39th Field Artillery Division on Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. On May 3, 1945, he was hit in the back with shrapnel. After the war, he returned home, became a police officer, and started a construction company with one of his brothers. The Purple Heart was returned to his grandson, Christopher Reed, who is also a veteran. Reed lives in suburban Atlanta and was raised in Lansing and Batavia, Illinois.
  • Oct. 29, 2024 (Decatur) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to the daughter of Marine Corps Private First-Class Delbert G. Tuttle. Mr. Tuttle earned the honor, along with the Silver Star, for wounds he suffered during the Battle of Saipan in the Pacific Theater on June 15, 1944. Tuttle was near the front lines, delivering ammunition and directing tank fire. He was wounded in the shoulder but refused an order to leave the line. A second wound that day forced him to the rear. Mr. Tuttle also had shrapnel in both legs. He returned stateside with the rank of Corporal. Mr. Tuttle lived in Decatur and worked as a machinist for the A.W. Cash Company. He died in 1972 at the age of 52.
  • July 1, 2024 (Chicago) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to the children of Army Air Force Master Sergeant Jerome A. Even. The veteran Park Ridge earned a Purple Heart during the attack on Pearl Harbor, according to his son. Mr. Even sustained a wound to the back of his leg but continued his military service during World War II in the Pacific. He passed away in 2014 at age 92.
  • August 20, 2023 (Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to the daughter of Marine Corps Private First-Class Charles John Alexander. The announcement was made later, on Nov. 6, 2023. The Marseilles, Illinois, native was an infantryman during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager, in the Pacific Theater during World War II. A bullet ripped through his knee, and he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. He returned home, worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and was a life-long member of the Disabled American Veterans. He died at home in 1988.
  • March 5, 2022 (Springfield) – Vietnam – Returned Purple Heart to the children of Army Specialist Kenneth R. Wiest. Specialist Wiest earned the Purple Heart while serving in Vietnam. He died in O’Fallon, Illinois, in 1998 at age 48.
  • October 2021 (Springfield) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to the family of Vincent Shayer, an Army veteran. After his service, he was a CTA bus driver for 30 years, a member of the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union, and a member of the American Legion, Edison Park Post #541. He died in 2007 at the age of 87.
  • March 11, 2019 (Joliet) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to Barbara Martens, niece of First Lieutenant Walter B. Ingledew, Jr. The Chicago native enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1942 and served in the 428th Fighter Squadron, 474th Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force as a Fighter Pilot. He was active in Normandy on D-Day and received his Purple Heart after he was killed in action when his plane was shot down over France on August 14, 1944. He was 23 years old.
  • June 28, 2018 (Chicago) – Vietnam – Returned Purple Heart to Phyllis Furlough, daughter, and Kenneth Furlough, grandson, of Vietnam Veteran Private First-Class Phillip Allen Morris of Harvey. PFC Morris served in the Army (1964-67) in the 101st Airborne Division, A Company, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry (when received Purple Heart) as an Armor Crewman and Armor Intelligence Specialist, and in the Army Reserves (1967-70). He was wounded in battle on January 13, 1966. PFC Morris passed away in 1997.
  • December 19, 2017 (Springfield) – Vietnam – Returned Purple Heart to Bertha Richard, niece of Vietnam Veteran Private First-Class Andrew Gust Richard of Elkhart. PFC Richard served in the Marine Corps (1968) in B Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Amphibious Force as a Rifleman. He was killed in action (KIA) 6/19/68 (age 21) in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, at Bac Dong Ban, Go Noi Island, while participating in Operation Allen Brook. His tour in Vietnam began on 2/26/68. He is buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery outside of Springfield.
  • November 6, 2017 (East St. Louis) – Vietnam – Returned Purple Heart to Tommie Turner, the brother-in-law of Vietnam veteran Willie G. Riley, formerly of East St. Louis. Riley served in the Army from 1967 to 1969. The medal was later presented to his widow, Lori, and children at Calverton National Cemetery in New York on Veterans Day.
  • May 22, 2017 (Peoria) – World War II – Returned Purple Heart to Constance Barr, the daughter of World War II veteran Edward H. Dunn of Peoria. Dunn served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 with Battery A of the 808th Field Artillery Battalion in Europe, where he served as a scout and rifle sharpshooter.
  • April 5, 2017 (Chicago) – Vietnam – Returned Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal, and National Defense Medal to Vietnam Veteran Specialist Harold J. Walker (of Vicksburg, Mississippi, formerly of Chicago). SPC Walker served in the Army (1969-70) in the 23rd Infantry Division.
  • Dec. 13, 2016 (Springfield) – Korean War – Returned Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman Badge to Barbara Ann Reynolds, daughter of Korean War Veteran Corporal John W. Naylor of Springfield. Cpl. Naylor served in the Army.