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Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Purple Heart reunited with WWII veteran's family in Geneva
The Brief Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs' Operation Purple Heart reunited a lost Purple Heart with the family of WWII veteran Edward Gorski Jr. during a ceremony in Geneva. Gorski, wounded in the Battle of the Bulge while protecting a fellow soldier, died in 1993; his medal was found in a bank deposit box and turned over as unclaimed property. Gorski's grandson, Shawn, an Army veteran himself, accepted the medal and said the honor deepened the meaning of his own service. GENEVA, Ill. - A Purple Heart that lost its way has now been reunited with the family of a World War II veteran. What we know "These medals don't deserve to be in a cold vault in Springfield," said Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs. "They should be in the warm, loving embrace of family."Frerichs launched Operation Purple Heart in 2021 to return lost or unclaimed combat medals to the families of those who earned Thursday, during a ceremony at the American Legion post in west suburban Geneva, Army veteran Shawn Gorski accepted the Purple Heart awarded to his late grandfather, Edward Gorski Jr. The elder Gorski served in the Army's 65th Infantry Division, which fought in Europe during 1944 and 1945, including in the Battle of the Bulge. Gorski's son, Scott, recalled that his father was wounded while trying to shield a fellow soldier from a mortar blast. "There was a mortar that got shot in a fox hole and he do over a guy that was in bad shape already," Gorski said. "He dove on top of him and it blew and did a lot of damage around his eye. And he carried that scar through life as I remember on his face."Edward Gorski died in 1993. His Purple Heart, which had been stored in a bank's safe deposit box, was eventually turned over to the treasurer's office as unclaimed property. "This program came about because when I came into office, I discovered that we held certain Purple Hearts. I saw one in a display case. and asked who does that belong to? The staff couldn't tell me."Thursday's event marked the 14th time the state has returned a Purple Heart to a veteran's family. Shawn Gorski, who was just a child when his grandfather died, said he was honored to receive the medal. A veteran himself, he plans to proudly display it in his home. "When the Treasurer's office reached out to me and said your grandfather has this, I was shocked. This just makes it all more real. And more meaningful. I think it makes my service feel more important too. So now I'm going to put it in a case and hang it up in my basement and show it off," Gorski said. What's next Frerichs said the state still has eight more Purple Hearts awaiting reunification and is asking the public to visit to see if they can help connect the medals with their rightful families.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Illinois returns WWII Purple Heart to late veteran's grandson
GENEVA, Ill. — The Illinois treasurer's office returned a Purple Heart Thursday to the grandson of a WWII Battle of the Bulge veteran. Private First-Class Edward Gorski Jr., a Chicago native, enlisted in April 1944 after turning 18 that January. He was part of the Army's 65th Infantry Division — nicknamed the 'Battle-Axe Division.' Gorski Jr. earned the Purple Heart during a nighttime mortar attack reminiscent of a scene in the HBO miniseries 'Band of Brothers' during the infamous Battle of the Bulge. Months later on May 2, he was seeking refuge in a foxhole when a fire lit by his fellow soldiers drew enemy fire. The 19-year-old Chicagoan was shot in the face and nearly lost an eye, but survived. Gorski Jr. also earned the European African Middle Eastern campaign medal with two Bronze Stars, a good conduct medal and combat infantry medal, according to his military records. He returned home after the war and retired from a job in private security. In 1993, Gorski Jr. died of a heart attack at his Westmont home at 67. Family always knew that if found, they wanted his grandson Shawn Gorski, who also is a U.S. Army veteran, to receive it. The medal was returned as part Operation Purple Heart by the office of Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs. It's a mission that has now returned 14 lost Purple Heart's to veterans or families of veterans. 'Mr. Gorski Jr. epitomized the selfless dedication of the Greatest Generation,' Frerichs said. 'It is our duty to honor him no matter how many years have passed.' 'It wasn't in vain': 98-year-old local World War II vet receives France's Legion of Honor The Purple Heart was among items in a bank safe deposit box submitted to the state treasurer's office in 2003. All of the Purple Hearts that have been returned or located and awaiting to be claimed come from safety deposit boxes. Military medals are among the most difficult items to return because neither the Armed Forces nor the federal government maintain a comprehensive list of awardees, according to Frerichs. Each bank determined the safe deposit box abandoned because the owner of the box had not touched it in several years. As a result, the contents were turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer's Office. View the list of unreturned Purple Heart awards here. A video of the full ceremony is here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
