Wednesday was a day one Vietnam War veteran thought he’d never see – and one he’s not likely to soon forget.
That’s because Harold Walker finally received his Purple Heart that had been lost for decades.
The Purple Heart is one of the most recognized and respected military decorations awarded to a member of the US Armed Forces.
Walker served as an infantryman in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970. Not only was he the recipient of a Purple Heart, but he also had a Vietnam Service Medal and a National Defense Medal that were lost when the bank where he kept them in a safe deposit box was sold.
After retiring from his 28-year career with the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2002, Walker moved back to Mississippi where he was born. Years later, during a visit to Chicago, he sought to retrieve the medals only to discover that their whereabouts were unknown.
His sister, Mabel Brown, submitted a claim to the Illinois State Treasurer’s office, which serves as the official holder of unclaimed property, housed in the basement of the State Capitol in Springfield.
The Treasurer’s office received the medals in 2007, and in late 2016, the office discovered who their rightful owner was.
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“We were able to find it was Mr. Walker and his mother’s name on the safety deposit box,” said advocacy director of unclaimed property Lee Lobue. “And we were able to find that Mabel had made a claim some time back, just an initial search online that included her name and phone number,” he added.
“When he told me he had that Purple Heart that we have been looking for, I said I think I’ll give you the number, you call him,” Brown said.
Walker was finally reunited with his medals in an emotional ceremony on Wednesday – for which he drove 11 hours from Mississippi to Chicago.
“We offered to mail his medals to him, but I think he said, ‘We’re not going to take any risks with losing them again,’” said Treasurer Mike Frerichs, adding that it was his “sincere pleasure and honor” to return the Purple Heart to Walker.
“I just want to say thank you everyone for coming and thank you for getting my medals back and everything,” Walker said. “You just have to keep hope alive, that’s all. Keep hope alive.”
