Purple Heart medal returns to WWII soldier's family

OTTAWA, Ill. — A Purple Heart medal, lost for decades, has been returned to a World War II soldier's family in Illinois.

The (Kankakee) Daily Journal reports the medal belonged to William T. Brewer, who joined the Army and fought in the Philippines. Brewer was wounded, captured and spent years in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. He died in the early 1950s.

The Purple Heart was stored in a trunk with other keepsakes, put in a storage locker and lost.

Ottawa resident Kane Farabaugh found the medal on a Canadian military awards website. He purchased it, and on Memorial Day he returned it to Brewer's daughter, Mary Jo Farrell of Johnsburg, and her daughter, Meg Skelly of Ottawa.

Farrell says the return of the medal means a great deal to her family.

In Other News

Ike aircraft carrier leaves Middle East, enters the Mediterranean Sea

The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower has been operating in the Middle Eastern waters of U.S. Central Command since November.

First T-54A trainer arrives at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

The Navy will use the T-54A aircraft to train aviators flying the P-8A Poseidon, E-2D Hawkeye and C-130 Hercules.

Advocates urge Austin to act on active duty obesity ‘epidemic’

A new letter urges defense leaders to do more to prevent, identify and treat obesity in the ranks.

The Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient died rescuing Marines

When asked if he could go back and extract the overwhelmed Marines from Guadalcanal, the 22-year-old Munro reportedly gave a confident, “Hell, yeah!”

VA expands benefits options for vets with other-than-honorable status

Veterans Affairs officials are updating rules regarding benefits eligibility to include more individuals with other-than-honorable discharges.

Load More