Illinois State Treasurer’s Office returned a Purple Heart to its rightful family earlier this month. 

State Treasurer Michael Frerichs says that his office returned the medal to the family of Kenneth R. Wiest. Wiest passed away at the age of 48 in 1998, and hardly ever mentioned his time in war.

Frerichs says that is common among purple heart recipients. 

For Wiest, his family also had very little information about what he went through. To make the quest to return the purple heart even tougher, there is zero identifying information on these medals. 

Frerichs adds that he’s still searching for the rightful owners of more medals. 

The State Treasurer’s Office recently made it easier to claim lost property, and even cash, through their iCash program. 

Learn more at illinoistreasurer.gov/ICASH. Frerichs appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.