Illinois Treasurer Returns WWII Veteran’s Purple Heart to Family Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day (Chicago, IL) — Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced the return of a Purple Heart medal belonging to a World War II veteran whose family remembers him as a proud Irish American who celebrated the holiday every year.
The medal belonged to Russell J. Reilly, a Chicago native who lost his right leg during combat in World War II. While details of the injury remain unclear, Reilly once gave his daughter a simple explanation for what happened on the battlefield: he was saving a friend.
“No one leaves the battlefield without scars, and Mr. Reilly’s was more visible than most,” Frerichs said in a statement. “It is an honor to finally return his Purple Heart to his loving family.”
The return marks the 18th Purple Heart medal reunited with families through the treasurer’s Operation Purple Heart initiative, a program aimed at returning lost or unclaimed military decorations to veterans or their descendants. According to the treasurer’s office, the total represents a record number of medals returned through such a program in Illinois and nationwide.
Reilly was in his early 20s and living with his parents in Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood when he entered the Army. He served for three years during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of Private First Class.
After the war, Reilly returned to Chicago, married his wife Edith and adopted a daughter, Patti. The family later used a Veterans Affairs loan to purchase a home in Des Plaines before eventually moving to Wheeling.
Patti Barnstable, Reilly’s only child, said she remembers her father’s wooden prosthetic leg and the thick leather belt he used to secure it. The injury sometimes made everyday activities more difficult, she said, including attending her school events because navigating bleachers was unsafe.
Despite those challenges, Reilly built a life after the war, working as a police clerk and later as a courthouse deputy. Barnstable said he also experienced discrimination because of his disability, including having a job offer rescinded after an employer learned about his prosthetic leg.
Barnstable also recalls happier moments. She described her father as a “typical Irishman” who proudly wore green every St. Patrick’s Day and enjoyed spending time with friends over a beer.
Reilly died on St. Patrick’s Day in 1980 at the VA Hospital in Maywood at the age of 60.
“What are the chances?” Barnstable said.
Reilly’s Purple Heart resurfaced decades later when it was discovered in a bank safe deposit box that was turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office in 2018 after it was deemed abandoned.
Under state law, banks must surrender the contents of safe deposit boxes that have gone untouched for several years. The treasurer’s office then safeguards those items as part of the state’s unclaimed property program until they can be returned to their rightful owners or heirs.
Military medals are particularly difficult to return because there is no comprehensive national database of Purple Heart recipients maintained by the U.S. military or federal government. In many cases, officials also do not know which conflict the medal was awarded for.
Frerichs encouraged the public to help identify families connected to other unclaimed Purple Heart medals currently held by the state.
“If you recognize a name, please reach out to them or their family,” Frerichs said. “This is an honor that deserves to be in their loving hands, not the cold, dark vault of my office.”
Information about Operation Purple Heart, including a list of unclaimed medals held by the treasurer’s office, is available on the program’s website.
Illinois Treasurer Returns WWII Veteran’s Purple Heart to Family Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day
