The valuable military awards span more than a century of American conflict – one medal even dates back to the Spanish American War, circa 1890. Other priceless items include service records, dog tags and commendations from World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
“It is my goal to reunite these very important military medals and awards with the men and women who earned them through their great sacrifice and service. I am proud to be undertaking this project and hope to reunite all the items with their rightful owners,” Rutherford said.
The effort to return these military artifacts is being titled Operation Reunite. Former Illinois State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Highland), who is a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient himself, is serving as the honorary chairman of this project. “This undertaking is important to me because I fully understand how precious these awards are to service members or their surviving families. Working in state government is about service, and I view this effort as a wonderful way to serve and honor our American heroes from Illinois,” said Stephens.
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office came to be the caretaker of these medals, awards and military artifacts after they were lost or forgotten. Often, a veteran of the armed forces or a family member has stored these objects in a bank’s safety deposit box and then subsequently forgotten about them over time. Banks eventually relinquish stewardship of the contents of these boxes to the treasurer’s office. The treasurer then serves as the custodian for these items, storing and protecting them in the state vault under the Capitol until they may be reunited with whom they rightfully belong.
For more information on Operation Reunite, please visit http://www.treasurer.il.gov or call the treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Division at 217-785-6998.
