Lost Purple Heart Returned to Family of World War II Veteran Decades After His Death in Emotional Ceremony

A Purple Heart medal has been reunited with the family of a World War II veteran 35 years after he passed away.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned the distinguished military honor — awarded to service members who are “wounded or killed as a result of enemy action” — to the relatives of Army Rifleman James R. Bennett, according to a press release from the Illinois State Treasury, which also released a video capturing the emotional moment.

Bennett sustained two combat injuries during the war — first on Aug. 13, 1944, in France, and again on Dec. 13, 1944, in Germany. He came back home to the United States in December 1945, a year after his second injury.

He and his wife, Ann, settled in Oak Lawn, Illinois, where they welcomed their only child, Susan. She “suffered from encephalitis and developed disabilities” that impacted her throughout her life.

After returning from service, Bennett remained dedicated to helping others. He volunteered as a firefighter, served part-time with the police department, and repaired toys for children with disabilities, according to the Illinois State Treasury.

Bennett died in 1990 at age 76, followed by Ann seven years later. Their niece, Patty Knies, became Susan’s legal guardian and took responsibility for the family’s belongings — except for the Purple Heart, which remained in a safe deposit box at Oak Lawn Bank registered in Ann’s name.

Knies told the Illinois State Treasury she never knew the medal existed, explaining that her aunt had “never mentioned it.” The safe deposit box and its contents were eventually “surrendered to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office as unclaimed property in 2022.”

Determined to return the award to its rightful heirs, Treasurer Frerichs tracked down the family and presented the Purple Heart to Knies during a ceremony at the Johnson-Phelps VFW Post 5220 in Oak Lawn on Monday, Nov. 10.

“Rifleman Bennett served his country honorably. He frequently wrote his wife, assuring her of his safety and downplaying his sacrifice,” Frerichs said in the release. “It is never too late to honor the men and women of the Greatest Generation.”

Knies, who traveled from Northwest Indiana to attend the ceremony, expressed gratitude to see the medal returned. Photos shared on Frerichs’ Facebook page show her holding the medal with visible emotion.

“He was such a wonderful man, and it is an honor to hold his Purple Heart,” she said. “So many soldiers and families suffered and sacrificed so much. It is important that they be remembered.”

This marks the 17th Purple Heart that Frerichs has reunited with a veteran’s family during his tenure. The Illinois State Treasury noted that locating the rightful recipients of these medals can be challenging because “neither the Armed Forces nor the federal government maintain a comprehensive list of awardees.”

Frerichs emphasized that “safeguarding unclaimed property until it can be returned to its owners or heirs, no matter how long it takes, is a core function of the state treasurer’s office.”

“If you recognize a name, please reach out to their family. This is an honor that deserves to be in their loving hands, not the cold, dark vault of my safe,” he said.

Anyone seeking to recover a Purple Heart can contact operationpurpleheart.org.