(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- On this day before Veterans Day, the state is looking for the public’s help in finding the rightful owners of unclaimed Purple Hearts.
When Mike Frerichs was first elected Illinois Treasurer, he says he took a tour of his office’s vault and noticed there was a Purple Heart on display.
“I didn’t think it was right for us to show off someone else’s honor, and we tried to track down that person and we found several others in our possession,” he said. “So, we have other military medals, as well, but today in advance of Veterans’ Day, we’re calling on Illinois citizens to just check out our website and see if they know anything about these Purple Heart owners.”
So far, Frerichs said, his office has returned seven Purple Hearts to their rightful owners. The office is still trying to track down 11 other Purple Heart recipients or their heirs.
That includes Robert Cawthorn, whose Purple Heart was turned in to the Treasurer’s Office 30 years ago. It had been untouched in a safe deposit box at a bank in Oak Park.
Frerichs asks people to visit IllinoisTreasurer.gov and check out the names of the people connected with the unclaimed military medals.
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