Here’s how you can reunite veterans with Pennsylvania’s nearly 500 unclaimed military decorations

HARRISBURG, Pa. — State Treasurer Stacy Garrity is calling on Pennsylvanians to help locate military service members and their families so the Commonwealth can return more than 475 decorations stored in the Treasury vault.

Since taking office in 2021, Garrity says, she’s returned nearly 600 military decorations to veterans or their descendants. The returned items include 13 Purple Hearts, four Bronze Stars and a Gold Star medal.

Treasurer Garrity emphasized the importance of locating the service members or their surviving relatives.

“Returning these medals, ribbons and pins is an act of gratitude and respect for our veterans, as each decoration symbolizes a part of their story of service and honors the sacrifices they made for us and our country,” Garrity said.

Notable returns this year included a U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal presented to the son of World War II Sgt. George Pershing.

Born in Westmoreland County in 1920, Pershing was drafted into the U.S. Army in the spring of 1942. Serving in the First Brigade of the Quartermaster Corps, he was among the troops who landed on Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion of Normandy and later fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

The Treasury also returned a Ruptured Duck Lapel Pin to the family of World War II veteran Earl F. Detweiler. A Luzerne County resident, Detweiler served in Company I of the 33rd Armored Regiment, Third Armored Division, participating in multiple European campaigns. He received a Purple Heart after being wounded in action in Germany, which resulted in an amputation. Detweiler later advocated for disabled veterans statewide and nationally and AMVETS Post #189 in Pittston was named in his honor.

Members of the public can search the Treasury’s military decoration database at searchandclaimpa.gov. Pennsylvanians can also use the website to check for unclaimed property. More than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed unclaimed property, with the average claim valued at more than $1,000.

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