Family receives World War II hero's Purple Heart at ceremony in Geneva

Chicago Tribune

a day ago

On Thursday, Edward Gorski Jr.'s Purple Heart medal was returned by the Illinois treasurer's office to the World War II veteran's grandson, Shawn.
The medal was presented to the Gorski family at a ceremony at American Legion Post 75 in Geneva, where Shawn is a member, according to the post.
Shawn, himself an Army veteran, said receiving it was an emotional experience.
'It just shows that everything he went through, we're able to, you know, tell those stories,' he said on Thursday. 'Ultimately, our teachings and his legacy will live on.'
The reuniting of the Gorski family with Edward's Purple Heart comes several years into a larger effort on the part of the treasurer's office to return unclaimed military medals in its possession.
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs is the state's custodian of unclaimed property — everything from bank accounts and insurance policies to stamps and jewelry. That's why military medals like Purple Hearts sometimes end up in the office's possession. As of Thursday, the treasurer's office estimated it has returned about $2.3 billion in forgotten cash and items during Frerichs' three terms.
In 2021, the office launched a special effort, Operation Purple Heart, to raise awareness about unclaimed military medals. To date, Frerichs has returned 14 Purple Heart medals, including Gorski's.
In December, as part of an investigation identifying the veterans behind the unclaimed Purple Hearts in the treasurer's office's possession, the Tribune ultimately tracked down Gorski's family to let them know Edward Gorski Jr.'s medals, including the Purple Heart, were being held by the Illinois treasurer's office.
According to past reporting, one of Gorski's sons, David, had put them in a bank after Edward had died and later lost track of the box. The medals had been turned over to the treasurer's office by a Darien bank in 2003, ending up in the state's unclaimed property section.
But, as of Thursday, the Purple Heart medal is back with Gorski's family.
Gathered at the ceremony were members of the Gorski family, members of the American Legion post including Commander Mike Ferrari and local elected officials, who recognized Edward Gorski Jr.'s service.
'It's important (that) all of us who benefit from the freedom earned and granted us by Mr. Gorski and the countless men and women like him, remember and learn about, venerate and commemorate the times they knew,' Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns said at the ceremony.
Edward Gorski Jr. was the oldest child of working-class parents and grew up on Chicago's North Side, near Wrigley Field, according to past reporting. He voluntarily enlisted in the Army in April 1944, months after his 18th birthday. He survived significant combat, including a battle in Germany in which he was struck in the face and body by shrapnel.
'He continued to fight for his country,' Frerichs said at the ceremony. 'Eventually, he came back and got to enjoy some of that freedom that he fought so hard for, was able to start a family here, raise a son, see his grandson follow in his footsteps and service to his country. These are things that really make someone a hero.'
Gorski ultimately returned to Chicago after being honorably discharged in November 1945, having earned a Purple Heart, a European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars, a combat infantryman badge, and the good conduct and World War II victory medals, per his discharge records.
He and his wife, Evelyn, later moved from Chicago to suburban DuPage County, and he worked for many years in private security. He died in early 1993, at the age of 67, after suffering a massive heart attack, according to past reporting. Evelyn died weeks before the Tribune contacted his family about the lost medals, at the age of 99.
Tracking down the owners and family of military medals can be difficult, Frerichs said at the ceremony, because the Armed Forces and federal government don't keep a comprehensive list of who is awarded them, and because names on safe deposit boxes don't always match the name of someone awarded a medal.
And, while Gorski's medal has now found its way home, the treasurer's office's efforts are not yet over, Frerichs said on Thursday. He said they have nine unreturned Purple Hearts in its possession currently, and noted that medals are still coming into his office.
After the ceremony, Scott Gorski — Edward's son and Shawn's father — said he had a feeling when his oldest child was born that he'd be the one to receive the Purple Heart.
'They shared the same birthday,' Scott Gorski said. 'They are two peas in a pod.'
Scott Gorski described how his father spent all week, every week with his grandson when he was young.
'We said, 'Yeah, we got to start searching daycares,'' Scott Gorski recalled. 'And he (Edward) was like, 'Absolutely not. I'm his daycare.''
During that time, Shawn and his grandfather went fishing, visited the zoo and played tennis.
'A true family man,' Scott Gorski said of his father.
And, not only did Thursday's ceremony reunite the medal with the family, but Scott Gorski said he hoped it offered a glimpse of his father's character to the family members who never got the chance to know him.
'I think they feel a little closer to him today,' he said.