Posted 13 years ago
tlmbaran
(136 items)
Named WWII Purple Heart in presentation box. Came from a pick on the East coast. Unfortunately, I know nothing about John H. Dunn, who he was, what branch of service he was in, or if he died as a result of the wounds. If anyone out there can track down this info for me, that would be great! Named Purple Hearts are hard to find out there for sale. I got this one for a song & dance. Its a shame the family felt it wasn't worth keeping.....
It is going to be tough without any further information. There are 22 records listed in the WW2 archives:
http://aad.archives.gov/aad/free-text-search-results.jsp?cat=WR26&bc=sl&q=john+h.+dunn&btnSearch=Search&as_alq=&as_anq=&as_epq=&as_woq=
Several are on the East Coast but with the way folks move it could easily have traveled East in the years after WW2.
Good luck,
Scott
This is just sad on so many levels, My brothers Purple Heart was stolen and he will not replace it because the one he had was presented directly from General Westmoreland and my brother says it just wouldn't be the same........Sad Sad....
Sorry about the theft Pop-- was it on display somewhere?
Usually military medals aren't a big target.
If it was engraved with his name, I'd do periodic searches online.
Scott
No, he let the local theater group 'borrow' his uniform for a play and the medal was missing when he got it back, We were all active in the group and we looked high and low in the theater building and never did find it.......the building has been refurbished and no hope now...............:-(
Thanks Scott....wish I could narrow down this medal to who actually won it. Thanks so much for the link!
POP- that is a shame the medal went missing....
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
It is still a nice WW2 NAMED Purple Heart.
Scott
I'm not even sure it's legal to sell these !
I know you can't sell them on Ebay, but I have seen some at a Military show or two....
My understanding is that you can legally sell any medal, except the Medal of Honor. There was some confusion after the Stolen Valor Act, but that act did not not alter the existing Code of Federal Regulations, which specifically says that can sell medals except the MOH. As long as the person does not not claim to have been awarded the medal, or walk around with it pinned to their chest as if they did (which would make them a low-life scum in my book) they should be good to go.
Yes-- the Medal of Honor is the one that cannot be sold. All others are legal to buy, sell and trade.
The Stolen Valor Act and other state level laws have confused many collectors, but the target has always been those that claim to been awarded, wear or display awards that they never personally earned.
Ebay is more strict and doesn't allow the Purple Heart to be sold.
Scott
Very nice.
My dad recieved a purple heart in WWII. He was on the USS Aulick when the comacossi (sp) pilots slammed into his ship. He told very few stories about that day. Horrible. He was Lester E. Albers. RIP. Sad it was for sale. I wish I had my dads, my unappreciative brother has it. I wouldn't have sold it no matter how desperate I was. RIP to the brave sole who owned the one you have. Thank You for your sacrifices
Lots of purple hearts were never entered in military records because they were awarded in the field. Being engraved with the name tends to indicate this is either a replacement or awarded at a ceremony after the fact. There is a Purple Heart Hall of Honor somewhere in New York. They might be able to help. If nothing else you could consider donating it to them for display.
I know the word "donate" isn't popular among collectors. But then this isn't a popularity contest. Some things have a value that $ can't be assigned to.
I would donate it fhrjr. Just saying.
I handed mine off along with a pack of Marlboro cigarettes to the guy in the next bed at the evac hospital. The Red Cross could only afford to give him a pack of Raleigh cigarettes and a free donut when he got better. They had plenty of money to buy tea and bacon for the VC in the cage behind the hospital. If I sound bitter I am and I would pop a cap on Hanoi Jane in a minute even today. Some things never fade away. This medal needs to be appreciated by someone.
The other possibility is that it was awarded to a family and the soldier was KIA. Most PHs sent to the family were engraved.
During WW2 documentation was pretty good on medals. Most units would take the time to publish orders prior to presentation.
With that being said, I am also certain that there were cases of lost paperwork and undocumented awards.
Scott