A lost Purple Heart medal that was awarded to Korean War veteran Cpl. John W. Naylor has been returned to his family.

Naylor, a Springfield resident, died July 12, 2006, at the age of 75. The Purple Heart, along with a Combat Infantryman Badge and other family documents, were in a bank safe-deposit box at U.S. Bank. The family didn’t know about the box, which was turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office after bank employees were unable to find any heirs.

Employees at Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office were able to find Naylor’s daughter, Springfield resident Barbara Reynolds. On Tuesday, Frerichs gave Reynolds her father’s medals during a ceremony in the Statehouse rotunda.

“I’m just really proud,” Reynolds said. “I knew he had a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star that is still missing. I’m just really proud of my dad, and I’m so happy to get this back so I can share it with my children.”

Naylor retired as a major with the Illinois State Police Investigation Division. Like many veterans, he didn’t talk to his family about his service in the Army during the Korean War.

Reynolds said her father had shrapnel in his knee, but she didn’t know any further details about his injury.

“I know a lot of men in his foxhole didn’t make it,” Reynolds said. “… He really didn’t talk about it a lot. I knew that it was bad. He saw a lot of bad things.”

The Purple Heart is awarded to military personnel wounded in action. It also is awarded posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action, died of wounds received in action or died as prisoners of war while in captivity. The Combat Infantryman Badge is awarded to infantrymen and U.S. Special Forces who fought in ground combat.

Frerichs said his office has more than 100 unclaimed military medals. The medals are never auctioned off and are kept until the owners or their family members are found.

“To return the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge to the daughter of a local veteran is truly one of my greatest honors,” Frerichs said. “I am very proud of the work our team does to reconnect families with their valuables and special keepsakes that belong to them. It is my hope that receiving these mementoes will make this family’s holiday a little brighter this year.”

Reynolds said she was surprised when the treasurer’s office called and said it had the medals and family documents that included Naylor’s discharge papers from the military, birth certificates, marriage certificates, baptism certificates, a cemetery deed for the family plot, a gold ring, numerous savings bonds and $1,000 from an insurance policy.

“I didn’t know we had all of these things,” said Reynolds, who described her dad as a “great guy” who was dedicated to his job in law enforcement.

“He was very honest and fair. He was out to get the bad guys,” Reynolds said.

The treasurer’s office is custodian of unclaimed property, including lost bank accounts, insurance policy proceeds and forgotten safe-deposit boxes. Items are surrendered to the treasurer’s office after private entities such as banks try for at least five years to find the owners or their heirs.

After they are turned over to the treasurer’s office, state employees take over the search.

If someone wants to see if there are any unclaimed items they may be entitled to, they can go to illinoistreasurer.gov/ICASH.

–Contact John Reynolds: john.reynolds@sj-r.com, 788-1524, twitter.com/JohnReynoldsSJR.