Rutherford trying to reunite veterans with lost medals

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford is trying to reunite veterans and their families with lost military medals, ribbons, dog tags and paperwork that was left in unclaimed safe-deposit boxes.

Rutherford says his office has 110 unclaimed medals collected from boxes, including 16 Purple Hearts. One medal even dates back to the Spanish-American War.

He says some of the material may have been put in a safe-deposit box by people who eventually died or who have since moved.

Rutherford’s working to connect the medals with their former owners through a program called Operation Reunite.

A website for the effort can be found at treasurer.il.gov. The Operation Reunite section lists people last connected with the boxes.

Rutherford says he hopes someone will recognize the names, so the items can be returned.