Nov. 11 (UPI) — A Purple Heart belonging to a World War II veteran from Illinois spent decades in a safe deposit box before being returned to his family in time for Veteran’s Day.
The Purple Heart, awarded to U.S. Army rifleman James Bennett during World War II, ended up in the possession of Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs as part of Operation Purple Heart, a program he launched to return military medals from abandoned safe deposit boxes to their rightful owners.
“We have to do a bit of homework, detective work out there. We work with the media. Chicago Tribune helped us track down some of these families because it’s not always so easy,” Frerichs told FOX 32 Chicago.
Bennett, a longtime Oak Park resident, died in 1990 at the age of 76. His wife, Ann, died seven years later…