On Saturday, Jestwin Lee III received the service medals of his grandfather, a veteran of the Spanish-American War.
“I’m proud,” Lee said. “Just brings back a lot of memories. It’s kind of hard to express emotion.”
It was made possible by Purple Hearts Reunited and Operation Purple Heart of Texas.
“We believe that these medals belong with these families so they can be cherished and they can pass on those legacies for multiple generations to come,” Operation Purple Heart of Texas cofounder Zachariah Fike said.
A posthumous Purple Heart was awarded to Seaman 1st Class Marron Jerome Ward Jr., who was killed during the battle of Iwo Jima.
His nephew was presented with the medal and learned more about his uncle’s bravery.
“I knew my uncle passed away during World War II, but I didn’t know how,” nephew John Harisco said. “I never knew that he passed away during the battle of Iwo Jima. So, reading that for the first time was really emotional to me.”
An emotional day that now leaves these families closer connected to their loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
“The last time that I saw that medal was probably 30-something years ago,” Harisco said. “Getting it reunited with our family meant a lot.”
That’s why Operation Purple Heart of Texas will continue its dedicated work to connect more families with long-lost medals.
“We believe that these medals belong with these families so they can be cherished and they can pass on those legacies for multiple generations to come,” Fike said. “To be able to say thank you to these families, in some cases 80, 100 years later, means everything to us. And we just want to say as a grateful nation to them, thank you for your family’s sacrifice.”