Medina Weekly News: Purple Heart returns home after 58 years

In the process of cleaning out an apartment in Dallas, a medal surfaced, alerting the cleaner to something special. It was a Purple Heart apparently awarded to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Curtis R. Patton for his service with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. Patton, 26, along with 20 others in his unit, was killed in action Feb. 4, 1968.

The search for the rightful owner of the medal ultimately led to the Chippewa Lake Yacht Club on July 20, where retired U.S. Army Infantry Col. Russ Vernon, executive director of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, presented Patton's sister, Faye Wilcox, and nephew, Jay Patton, with the long-lost medal.

A number of family members traveled from as far away as Florida to attend the ceremony, where Vernon paid tribute to Patton and the nation's 1.8 million Purple Heart recipients.

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