Forgotten War Medals Waiting to Be Claimed by Rightful Owners

Do you know William White of Joliet? The state of Illinois has his military service medals and would like to get them back to the veteran.

The same goes for Allie Bates of Harvey, Jeffrey Siegler of Hazel Crest and Henry Est Vanhiel of Calumet City.

These south suburban men and a few dozen other Illinoisans have unclaimed military medals, awards and artifacts sitting in the Illinois treasurer's Unclaimed Property Division vault.

The vault beneath the State Capitol contains thousands of lost or forgotten valuables, including nearly 200 military items. The military awards span more than a century of American conflict, including one medal that dates back to the Spanish American War, circa 1898. Other priceless items include service records, dog tags and commendations from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, according to the Illinois Treasurer's office. 

Treasurer Dan Rutherford started Operation Reunite last year to get these items into the hands of the rightful owners and their family members.

“I don’t have many better duties as treasurer than to reunite a military medal with a veteran,” said Rutherford in a statement. “It is my goal to return each and every one of the medals and awards that belong to these veterans or their heirs.” 

Rutherford recently returned two Purple Hearts to a woman in Rockford whose family earned the medals and returned a Bronze Star to veteran Tommy Fenton of Mt. Vernon. 

“If anyone recognizes a name on the list, please let us know,” Rutherford asked. “While we have a city connected to the names of most of the medals, and perhaps even a last known address, enough time has passed that the address is no longer valid. To find a hint about the veterans’ new address, or the whereabouts of the veterans’ families, would likely allow us to reunite these medals with the rightful owners."

You may read the full list on the Operation Reunite page on the treasurer's website.

If you have information about one of these veterans, e-mail the treasurer's office at DanRutherford@treasurer.state.il.us