11th medal returned under Frerichs'
Operation Purple Heart
CHICAGO, July 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of the Independence Day holiday, Illinois
State Treasurer Michael Frerichs
today returned a missing Purple Heart medal to the family of a late
Army Air Corps veteran from Park
Ridge.
The medal, given to those wounded or killed in military combat,
belonged to Jerome Even, who served
in the U.S. Army Air Corps and rose to the rank of Master Sergeant.
Mr. Even put the medal in a bank safe deposit box. He died in
April 2014 at age 92, and the
contents of the safe deposit box ended up at the State Treasurer's
Office, which works to reunite people with unclaimed property.
"Jerome Even was a true hero,
part of the Greatest Generation, who bravely served his country at
such a crucial time in our nation's history," Treasurer Frerichs
said. "We honor his sacrifice. I am grateful we returned his Purple
Heart to his family, where it belongs."
The medal was returned as a result of Operation Purple Heart, an
unprecedented mission to return Purple Heart medals to their
rightful owners. In May, Treasurer Frerichs unveiled a web page
listing Purple Heart medals the Treasurer's Office is seeking to
return.
Jim Even, one of Jerome Even's sons, said about a dozen people
who had seen coverage of Treasurer Frerichs' news conference
reached out to him asking if the medal might belong to his
family.
"I said, 'Oh my goodness.' I didn't know he had anything left in
that safe deposit box. It was a shock. We were very surprised and
happy," said Jim Even, who then
contacted the State Treasurer's Unclaimed Property team. "The
people there are just wonderful and just walked me through
everything with the forms. I couldn't wait to share this whole
story with my siblings when we all get together."
Master Sergeant Even was awarded
the Purple Heart by Headquarters, 7th Bombardment Group
on Feb. 3, 1942, according to
military paperwork in the safe deposit box. Jim Even said his father told him the Purple
Heart was earned during the Dec. 7,
1941, attack on Pearl
Harbor.
"My recollection is that he was doing guard duty overnight. He
and his fellow soldiers saw planes flying over the island going
toward the harbor that had rising suns on the tail, which was the
Japanese Zeros insignia," Jim Even
said his father told him.
"Bombs started falling and he realized, 'Oh my gosh, this is for
real.' He went into the barracks where he was guarding the
officers. He said, 'Air raid,' and they didn't hear it because it
was from far away and the sound hadn't traveled. They didn't
believe him and started throwing shoes at him. And then a bomb hit
close, and everyone ran for shelter. And that's how he was wounded
in the back of his leg during the bombing," Even said his father
told him.
Jim Even said he found letters
from his grandmother to his father from Dec.
8 and Dec. 12 asking if her
son was alive. His father didn't get the letters until a week
later, and he was able to telegraph that he was OK.
Master Sergeant Even also earned
numerous other awards during World War II, including an Air Medal,
Good Conduct Ribbon, and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Ribbon with
four battle stars.
Treasurer Frerichs has now returned 11 Purple Heart medals to
their rightful owners, the most by any administration in
Illinois, but there is still more
work to be done.
"Our ask is simple. If you recognize a name, then reach out to
them or their family because maybe we have their Purple Heart,"
Frerichs said. "You also can reach my office through
operationpurpleheart.org."
A full list of unclaimed Purple Hearts is available online.
Military medals are among the most difficult items to return
because neither the Armed Forces nor the federal government
maintains a comprehensive list of awardees.
A thorough vetting of inquiries will occur once an electronic
claim is made at icash.illinoistreasurer.gov.
About Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs
The Illinois State Treasurer's Office is a powerful economic
engine that invests in people to drive prosperity, development and
growth throughout the state. As State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs (FRAIR'iks) is the state's
Chief Investment and Banking Officer and actively manages
approximately $60 billion. The
investments help families pay for college and trade school; workers
save for a dignified retirement; and local governments process bill
payments more efficiently so they can pass along the savings to
taxpayers. The office provides financial institutions money to loan
to farmers, small business owners, and qualified individuals at
below-market rates because better jobs create stronger communities.
The office operates the state's largest consumer-protection
initiative, the missing money I-Cash program, which has returned a
record-breaking $2 billion since
Frerichs was elected.
For more news about the State Treasurer's Office, please follow
Treasurer Frerichs on Instagram at ILTreasurer, LinkedIn and
Facebook at Invested in You – Treasurer Michael Frerichs.
Video of news conference will be available
here:
https://cms.illinois.gov/agency/media/video/videos.html
Additional
b-roll available here: https://bit.ly/PurpleHeartJeromeEven
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/illinois-treasurer-michael-frerichs-returns-purple-heart-medal-to-family-of-pearl-harbor-veteran-302187250.html
SOURCE Illinois State Treasurer's Office