Memorial Day is just a few days away — honoring military members who made the ultimate sacrifice.
One Chicago native will now be better able to honor the memory of his late grandfather, thanks to an effort to reunite lost Purple Hearts with their rightful owners.
Army Cpl. Henry Van Der Noord earned his Purple Heart while fighting to liberate the Philippines during World War II.
"He took a mortar shell from behind during a volley of artillery in the Philippines, and the shell exploded behind him," said Van Der Noord's grandson, Christopher Reed.
After the war, Van Deer Noord lived in south suburban Lansing, where he served as a police officer.
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Lansing, Illinois police Officer Henry Van Der Noord earned a Purple Heart while fighting to liberate the Philippines during World War II. Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs
Van Deer Noord later gifted the sacred medal to his young grandson, Reed, who used to live in Batavia.
"You don't know what you got until it's gone, and for a while I thought it was gone," said Reed.
After several cross-country moves over the years, Reed was almost certain that he lost the Purple Heart, until earlier this month. Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs reunited the award with Reed, tracking him down near Atlanta — where he now lives.
"I realized that it was left unattended in a safety deposit box," Reed said. "The stupidity of losing possession of something like that."
War medals that go unclaimed in safety deposit boxes end up in the Illinois State Treasurer's vault. So far, Frerichs has returned 13 Purple Hearts since launching Operation Purple Heart in 2021.
The office currently has at least 10 unclaimed Purple Hearts.
"Those aren't things you can just pick up the phone and get replaced," Reed said.
Signs honor Chicago as Purple Heart City
Meanwhile, as Memorial Day approaches, Chicago is officially a Purple Heart City. Two signs were unveiled to honor Purple Heart veterans.
Two signs were unveiled downtown to honor Purple Heart veterans on Wednesday. Retired Lt. Col. Eldridge Johnson Jr. helped bring the markers to the city.
"It's an honor to witness the city of Chicago's commitment to combat veterans who have fallen or who were injured," said Johnson.
The state treasurer's office said military awards like the Purple Heart are among the hardest to return, because neither the U.S. Armed Forces nor the federal government keep detailed lists of award recpients.
Charlie De Mar
Charlie De Mar is an Emmy Award-winning reporter for CBS2.