As Memorial Day approaches, a chapter of family history closes for the Van Der Noord clan, thanks to Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs' heartfelt, albeit bureaucratic, crusade. Frerichs made a timely gesture, restoring a Purple Heart to the descendants of a World War II Army veteran, a medal that symbolizes grueling sacrifice and valor, and does so without the pomp and circumstance that such ceremonies can often attract, according to the State of Illinois.
The recipient, Christopher Reed, also carved out a career in the Air Force, no stranger to the rigors of military life, received the long-lost medal that his grandfather, Cpl. Henry Van Der Noord, was awarded during the gritty campaign to liberate the Philippines in a bygone era of American valor; Frerichs honored the legacy of Mr. Van Der Noord and his three brothers who fought in WWII, a quintessential American tale of duty and survival, "Mr. Van Der Noord and his brothers served their country proudly during a crucial time in our world's history," Frerichs noted as reported by the state news release. Reed's reverence for the award grew with him, from childhood fascination to a profound respect in adulthood. "When I first got it, I didn't know what the Purple Heart medal signified. I just thought it was really cool, coming in its own case," Reed told the State of Illinois, adding later, "It was quite an honor."
All four Van Der Noord brothers returned stateside after the war. Henry became a police officer, constructed buildings with his brother Eddie, and the two forged careers, concrete as the foundations they laid, building a family-named apartment complex that still stands in Lansing. This touching reunion was facilitated by Illinois' unclaimed property system, which released the Purple Heart from a safe deposit box considered abandoned, part of a larger initiative that has reconnected 13 such medals with soldiers or their families, as described by Frerichs, who is keen to ensure these symbols of heroism are cherished in the hands of kin and not buried in the "cold, dark vault of my office," as per the State of Illinois.
Frerichs' office continues the vigil, calling on Illinoisans to assist in the quest to restore these medals to families, invoking a common call of honor and gratitude across generations, these actions rest upon the foundation of billions recuperated in unclaimed property, blazing a trail of fiscal stewardship dovetailed with the reconnecting of material symbols and the immaterial bonds of family narratives frayed by the passage of time.
