Purple Heart returned to WWII soldier’s family

Tennessee’s state treasurer says a missing Purple Heart medal earned more than 70 years ago has been returned to the soldier’s family. (Photo by US Coast Guard Academy/Flickr, Public Domain)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Tennessee’s state treasurer says a missing Purple Heart medal earned more than 70 years ago has been returned to the soldier’s family.

State Treasurer David H. Lillard Jr.’s office says the Purple Heart was one of two military decorations earned by Claude Parris for his service in World War II.

According to his grandson, Parris served on the European front, fighting with American forces in Paris and Luxembourg, where he lost part of his right leg in the Battle of the Bulge.

Lillard says the Purple Heart was found in an abandoned safe deposit box in the Chattanooga area. He says the Tennessee Department of Treasury’s Division of Unclaimed Property worked to reconnect Parris’ family with the medal.

Lillard presented the Purple Heart to Parris’ grandson late last week.