(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It was 1944 when Marine Corps Private First-Class Charles John Alexander received a purple heart for his service in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign in World War II.
Alexander, then 27 years old, had a bullet rip through his knee during combat. He walked with a limp the rest of his life, and decades after he died in 1988, Alexander’s Purple Heart was among the items found in a forgotten safe deposit box in Shorewood, Ill.
On Monday, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned the Purple Heart to Debbie Ernest, Alexander’s oldest living daughter, in a private ceremony near their Will County home.
“Having my dad’s Purple Heart in my hands means more than words can say,” Ernest said. “I am very proud of my father and very happy to have this honor safely back in the hands of our family.”
Four years after Alexander was wounded and discharged from the Marine Corps, he married Dorothy Johnson and found work in the Illinois Department of Transportation. He was a lifelong member of the Disabled American Veterans.
The treasurer’s office said safeguarding unclaimed property and returning it to owners or heirs is a “core function” of the treasurer.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram