Ahead of Memorial Day, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs made a renewed request for the public’s assistance in returning a dozen Purple Heart medals to their rightful owners.
The medals were submitted to the treasurer’s office through its unclaimed property program, but their stories remain shrouded in mystery. A Purple Heart is awarded to those who are killed or wounded in service.
“These Purple Hearts are priceless. You can’t put a price tag on them,” Frerichs said at a news conference Thursday morning. “We’re not going to stop until we get them back into the rightful owners’ hands.”
The initiative, dubbed Operation Purple Heart, was launched in November 2021. Frerichs has returned 10 medals over his nine-year tenure.
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The medals are among the billions of dollars in unclaimed funds and property currently held by the treasurer’s office. A bank account, investment product or safe deposit box is typically turned over to the state if there is no activity for several years. The agency is required by law to attempt to return all unclaimed property.
“Military medals, especially Purple Hearts, are something we will never auction off,” Frerichs said. “You can’t buy that valor, you can’t buy that glory, or buy that honor.”
Purple Hearts are particularly difficult to return because the name under which the property was submitted often doesn’t correspond to the name of the honoree, according to Frerichs. The federal government also doesn’t maintain a comprehensive list of those awarded the medals.
It’s estimated that more than 1.8 million Purple Hearts have been awarded since 1932. The medal is known as the nation’s oldest military honor, with origins dating back to the Revolutionary War, according to the Department of Defense. At first, the medals were only awarded to soldiers, but in 1942 Congress opened the honor to all services, including some civilians.
Four of the medals most recently acquired by the treasurer’s office were displayed in their black cases Thursday. Each heart-shaped award was embossed with the face of President George Washington and adorned with a purple ribbon. There were other unclaimed military honors beside them — a Bronze Star, an Air Force medal, honorable discharge documents.
“They deserve to be in the warm embrace of family rather than sitting in a cold vault in Springfield,” Frerichs said.
A Purple Heart has no engravings identifying the honoree or the conflict in which it was awarded. Even if the honoree is known, many veterans have common names, have left Illinois or have passed away. Some of the medals have been in the possession of the treasurer’s office for decades.
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Frerichs pointed to one Purple Heart submitted to the agency in 2021. It was acquired through a bank safe deposit box under the name Nancy Johnston, who apparently lived in Frankfort. There was also a Good Conduct medal and an Air Force medal inside the safe.
“It’s a pretty common name. There are a lot of Nancy Johnstons out there,” Frerichs said. “But chances are, someone from that town might remember her or a child. That will help us make some additional calls.”
The Purple Heart returned most recently belonged to a Marine Corps private who served during World War II. A bullet had ripped through his knee, leaving him with a limp for the rest of his life. He died in 1988. In November last year, the treasurer’s office returned his Purple Heart to his daughter in Elmwood.
A list of the 12 unclaimed medals and all known information is available on the treasurer office’s website.
“Some of the best times I have had as a treasurer have been the ceremonies where we reunite the owners of these metals with their proper family, and I hope to do more of that,” Frerichs said.
In another case, a veteran had given his Purple Heart to his mother, who passed away years ago without telling him the location of the safe deposit box. He thought the medal was lost for good until his family searched the state’s unclaimed property database.
The veteran insisted on driving to Illinois from Mississippi to collect his honor.
“He said ‘No, don’t put that in the mail,’” Frerichs recalled. “It means that much to me. I’ll drive back up.”
