The family of a World War II veteran from Oak Lawn has received his long untouched Purple Heart, thanks to efforts of those including the Illinois state treasurer’s office.
“A lot of people in my family were in the military — my son was in the military,” Patty Knies, who received the honor on behalf of her late uncle, James Bennett, said Monday. “So this does mean a lot, to get this back in our family and not have it sit in a safety deposit box somewhere.”
Knies didn’t know Bennett received a Purple Heart after being wounded twice during his service, until she received a call from the Tribune. Reporter Christy Gutowski spent about four months researching public records and interviewing people with possible connections to 11 abandoned safe deposit boxes.
As of Monday’s ceremony at the Oak Lawn Veterans of Foreign Wars post, turning over Bennett’s Purple Heart to Knies, state Treasurer Michael Frerichs said his office has returned 17 of the medals awarded to those injured or killed in combat, presenting them to veterans or their loved ones. Six remain unclaimed, Frerichs said. Information is available under Operation Purple Heart at www.illinoistreasurer.gov.
“I grew up knowing that I had an uncle who died in Vietnam,” Frerichs said. “Other families who heard stories about their relatives in the service remind me of my own personal connections. It is really, really touching.”
Frerichs encouraged people who may have clues to help track down veterans or families who are still missing Purple Hearts to reach out to his office.
One such case is Nancy Johnston, who the treasurer’s office believes lived in Frankfort and belonged to Old Plan Trail Community Bank there. In addition to her Purple Heart, the government is in possession of a Good Conduct medal and an Air Force medal.
“These Purple Hearts deserve to be in the warm embrace of family, not sitting in a cold vault,” Frerichs said.
Knies said Bennett died in 1990 at age 76, and he rarely spoke of his time at war.
“He talked more about the things he did here,” Knies said, referring to Oak Lawn’s VFW, where Bennett is believed to have been a post commander. Bennett also volunteered with the Fire Department and was a part-time police officer.
Born in Indiana on the Fourth of July, Bennett grew up in Blue Island but made Oak Lawn his home after marrying his wife, Ann, on Christmas Eve in 1935.
He taught safety tips to children at school assemblies, volunteered with Scout troops, helped hospitalized veterans and collected and repaired toys for children with developmental disabilities.
The World War II veteran was first wounded Aug. 13, 1944, in France and again Dec. 13 that same year, in Germany. Bennett also developed trench foot, which was common because of the cold, damp conditions, the Tribune reported.
He recovered in hospitals in Germany, England and France, according to his wartime letters, some of which are part of a history exhibit at Oak Lawn Public Library.
“There is nothing to worry about sweets,” Bennett wrote to his wife from Paris in a letter dated Dec. 19, 1944. “I got nicked in the head again but that is only a scratch. … I love you so much hon, more than I can ever say.”
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Bennett came home in December 1945. He and Ann raised their daughter Susan, who suffered from severe disabilities as a result from contracting encephalitis as a baby. While she was not expected to survive beyond early childhood, she lived into her 50s, with Knies becoming her legal guardian after the Bennetts’ deaths.
“When she passed, instead of my friends buying flowers, they bought a tree,” Knies said. “So we have our Susie tree, and it’s right outside my kitchen window. I see it every day.”
Bennett’s Purple Heart, among other personal items, were recovered from an Oak Lawn bank safe deposit box in Ann’s name and surrendered to the state treasurer’s office in 2022.
Safeguarding unclaimed property until it can be returned to its owners or heirs, no matter how long it takes, is a core function of the treasurer’s office, it said in a news release Monday.
Other examples of unclaimed property are bank accounts, unpaid life insurance benefits and uncashed rebate checks.