Lost Purple Heart Returned

Pa. man tracks down owners of missing medal

A Purple Heart medal, that was lost more than six decades ago, is now home where it belongs.

Larry Moore, of Lower Chichester, told the Delaware County Daily Times that he found the medal among his father's belongings, after his Dad died last year.

What remains a mystery is how the medal ended up in Delaware county.

The medal was awarded to First Lieutenant Thomas E. Hadley II, of Michigan, an Air Force pilot who died in combat in North Korea in 1951, according to the newspaper.

"It's a neat story," Moore told the Daily Times, and added he wished he had more pieces to the puzzle.

Moore's father was a Marine Corps veteran, who also served in Korea. But says it was his Grandfather who first found the medal. He's not sure though where he found it.

Now that the medal was in his possession, Moore decided he wanted to track down Lieutenant Hadley's family and return it to them, he told the newspaper.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart helped Moore track down Hadley's family, currently living in Lexington, Mass.

The family was thrilled to get the medal back, and held a ceremony over the weekend.

Contact Us