Illinois veteran's long-lost Purple Heart medal finds its way home ahead of Memorial Day
Illinois veteran's lost Purple Heart medal returns to his family ahead of Memorial Day
"That’s definitely it." A grandson gets a piece of family history back—nearly 80 years after WWII.
CHICAGO - A World War II veteran’s Purple Heart has been returned to his family just in time for Memorial Day.
What we know:
Just days out from Memorial Day 2025, a piece of military history found its way back to the family of Army Cpl. Henry Van Der Noord, a WWII veteran who was wounded in the battle to liberate the Philippines in May 1945.
Van Der Noord’s Purple Heart medal had been missing for years until it was recovered from an unclaimed safe deposit box submitted to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office in 2020.
Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs recently traveled to Atlanta to personally return the medal to Van Der Noord’s grandson, Christopher Reed.
"For some reason, when I was 8 or 9 years old, I found it important to edge in some pencil marks inside of it, and I will never know, but that's definitely it," Reed said when he saw the medal again.
After the war, Van Der Noord moved to Lansing, Illinois, where he served as a police officer and co-founded a construction company with one of his brothers. He was one of four siblings who fought in WWII.
What we don't know:
It’s unclear how the Purple Heart ended up in the safe deposit box.
Big picture view:
Meanwhile, in Chicago, two new street signs were unveiled this week—one outside City Hall and another at the site of the former Fort Dearborn—recognizing the sacrifices of service members who were wounded in combat.
Several Purple Heart recipients attended the dedication, including former 11th Ward Alderman James Balcer.
"Let’s not forget about Memorial Day, what Memorial Day truly is," Balcer said. "It’s a day of celebration, it’s a day of remembrance, it’s a day we remember those who fought and died for our country."
Chicago was officially designated as a Purple Heart City last fall.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by the Illinois State Treasurer's Office, the City of Chicago, and the family of Henry Van Der Noord.