The story of Richard Ferris, a World War II veteran from New York who received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously for his actions in Italy in 1943, could have been forgotten had it not been for some interested researchers and members of a Coast Guard Auxiliary group in Southwest Florida.

Four years ago some of Ferris’ personal effects were found in a storage locker that was put out for garbage in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The significance of the rescued items wasn’t known until his military records were researched.

While serving in the European Theater of War, Ferris was in an artillery unit supporting infantry soldiers landing on the beach. Despite intense fire and being wounded by a shell fragment, he continued to fire at the enemy, silencing two enemy machine guns and two artillery pieces. Those actions enabled the infantry to establish the beachhead.

A Coast Guard Auxiliary presented Ferris’ trunk with his possessions to the Southwest Florida Military Museum & Library in Cape Coral, Florida. The personal effects were retired in a Memorial Day ceremony and were given a permanent home in the museum’s Hall of Honor.

The Ferris case is not an isolated one. When older veterans pass away without any living relatives, their possessions are often sold off or discarded. The records and stories of their wartime exploits are gone forever.

Fortunately, there are groups dedicated to honoring those veterans and assuring that their decorations are not forgotten.

Two months ago, the nonprofit foundation Purple Hearts Reunited, whose mission is to return lost or stolen military medals of valor to veterans or their families, reunited eight families with their lost Purple Heart Medals in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Founded in 2012 by combat-wounded veterans and active-duty Army officers, the organization has been able to locate and return medals to more than 300 military families to date.

If a Purple Heart is found, people can send it by registered mail to Purple Hearts Reunited, 38 N. Main St., Suite 112, St. Albans, VT 05478.

Pennsylvania state Treasurer Joe Torsella also recently unveiled a new website solely dedicated to reuniting unclaimed military decorations with their rightful owners.

The new search function at www.patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property/medals allows users to search their names, or the name of a loved one, to see if the Treasury is holding a military decoration as unclaimed property. Users are able to look through a photo gallery of some of the decorations that are in the unclaimed property vault, as well as photos of medals that have been returned to their owners.

The Treasury Department estimates more than 500 have accumulated over the past 50 years, including Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars and Medals of Valor. According to Torsella, the medals are always maintained and none of the service decorations are ever discarded.

“Behind each military decoration held in Treasury’s unclaimed property vault, there is a story of sacrifice,” Torsella said in a news release.

“Everyone represents a story of service. It’s my hope that, with the use of technology, we are able to get more of these medals back where they belong — with the veterans and their families.”

In many cases, the military medals represent the last tangible piece from a veteran that his or her family can have. Thankfully, there are groups and individuals dedicated on preserving their legacies.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com