On Sept. 3, Joe O’Connell and his household acquired their fathers purple coronary heart medal in a ceremony at Hoffman Park. The purple coronary heart medal was awarded to Tom O’Connell, a River Falls resident.
O’Connell was drafted into the Korean Battle and was injured twice. His first harm was from a concussion and his second was an enemy gunshot within the leg. He made full recoveries.
O’Connell served for 2 years and was honorably discharged. He was awarded a number of medals, together with two Purple Hearts with one gold star. O’Connell died in April 2006.
The medal was present in a Habitat for Humanity home in Hammond, WI. The O’Connell’s have a principle on how the medal ended up on the home.
“My dad was closely concerned in Habitat for Humanity so we predict it was discovered when the home was being cleaned final 12 months,” O’Connell mentioned.
Mike Brennan (black) presents the purple coronary heart again to Joe O’Connell (purple) and his household. Sam Fristed/Star-Observer.
Habitat for Humanity contacted Purple Hearts Reunited, a corporation who focuses on returning misplaced medals. After verifying service information, the group contacted the O’Connell’s.
“After I first acquired a name from them I assumed it was a rip-off,” O’Connell mentioned. “The script sounded too rehearsed and the quantity was from Vermont. I didn’t assume any of it added up so I forgot about it.”
After a number of months O’Connell acquired one other name from the mysterious quantity. After doing a little analysis about Purple Hearts Reunited he realized it was reputable.
O’Connell mentioned the entire course of to obtain the medal took a few 12 months. The O’Connell’s used the time to plan the ceremony.
On the return ceremony, family and friends had lunch earlier than a presentation was carried out by Mike Brennan of Purple Hearts Reunited. After Brennan spoke, Joe O’Connell gave a speech.
“My dad didn’t discuss a lot concerning the conflict when our household grew up as a result of it left him with unsettling recollections,” he mentioned. “With the tales he did inform us we realized one factor; he was a badass.”
Tom O’Connell’s son Joe speaks in the course of the return ceremony. Family and friends additionally spoke, sharing recollections about Tom O’Connell. Sam Fristed/Star-Observer.
When O’Connor was completed, he requested family and friends to share their tales about his father. Because the tales had been retold, laughter crammed the room.
After recollections had been shared the ceremony started. Brennan introduced the O’Connell household with a body containing an image of Jim, his navy items and his purple coronary heart.
With the medal again in his household’s possession, O’Connell mentioned he had a rush of feelings. He described the second as “particular.”
“It means rather a lot,” O’Connell mentioned with a smile. “Studying all his tales all through the years means a lot to our household. To have his medal again, we’re tickled.”
The O’Connell household was introduced with a body recognizing the service of Tom O’Connell. Included within the body is an image of O’Connell, his navy unit and his purple coronary heart medal. Sam Fristed/Star-Observer.
Purple Hearts Reunited was based ten years in the past and has returned over 1,000 purple coronary heart medals, Brennan mentioned.
The method for figuring out medals will not be straightforward. The group must confirm the medal recipient which may take years relying on how a lot info is on the market.
After verifying the recipient, the following steps contain contacting the household. That course of can take months, Brennan mentioned.
As soon as the household has been contacted, the ultimate step is organising the return course of. Brennan mentioned most return ceremonies are completed in particular person however some households request the medal to be mailed.
“We attempt to have ceremonies in particular person as a result of it reveals respect to the household and the purple coronary heart recipient,” Brennan mentioned.
At the moment the group has round 600 purple coronary heart awards that have to be returned. With a small employees of volunteers, Brennan mentioned the group is working onerous to return medals to recipients across the nation.
With the return of the O’Connell’s purple coronary heart, one much less medal must be returned.
