02-04-2025
Pennsylvania Treasurer returns lost WWI medal to veteran's family
(WHTM)– Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity returned a lost WWI medal to a veteran's family on Wednesday.
The medal belonged to Schuylkill County native Joseph William Morrison, a Private First Class in the Army who was killed in action during the First World War, according to the Treasury.
The Treasurer's office said the WWI Gold Star Mothers and Widows Pilgrimage Medal was given to them as unclaimed property and was stored in a safe deposit box owned by the Joseph's family.
Christine Morrison of Brooklyn, New York, traveled to Schuylkill County for a ceremony on Wednesday to receive the medal. The Treasury said multiple other family members were in attendance.
'I'm so honored to be returning this medal to Joseph Morrison's family on behalf of a grateful Commonwealth. It is so important we remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives serving our country, as PFC Morrison did when he died representing the Allies in France,' Garrity said. 'As a fellow Veteran, there is no higher honor for me than to return these medals to our military families and shine a light on the heroism of our men and women in uniform.'
Morrison was a member of the 554th Army Ambulance service during WWI. The Treasury said he was killed in action on Nov. 1, 1918. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre and VFW Post 2198 in Orwigsburg is named after him.
'When I was growing up in Auburn, I heard many stories about our great Uncle Joe. However, I was not aware of the Gold Star Medal which was presented to our great-grandmother after World War I. That is what makes the return of the medal to our family a very momentous occasion. It is quite remarkable, and only through the diligent efforts of the Pennsylvania Treasury staff, that the return is possible. More importantly, the medal reminds us of the sacrifice made by him and others – and their families – in defense of humanity,' Christine Morrison said.
Garrity has returned 477 military decoartions since taking office, according to the Treasury.
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