They thought it was lost forever, but nearly sixty years after their loved one was killed in Vietnam, his Purple Heart will come back to them. The Purple Heart of Staff Sergeant Curtis Patton, discovered in Dallas, Texas, earlier this year and sent to the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, was reunited with his family in Chippewa Lake, Ohio. SSG Patton, was killed along with 21 other soldiers by NVA and Viet Cong forces in 1968. He was buried in a mass grave until being later recovered and interred in the U.S.

For his actions, he was awarded a Bronze Star, an Air Medal, and the Purple Heart.

The National Purple Heart Honor Mission, a 501c3 organization dedicated to paying tribute to our nation's combat wounded and killed-in-action, will present the medal to SSG Patton's youngest sister, Faye Wilcox, and other family members in a special ceremony at the Chippewa Yacht Club.