{"id":142728,"date":"2025-05-25T13:35:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T17:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=142728"},"modified":"2025-05-25T13:35:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T17:35:48","slug":"treasurer-stacy-garrity-500-military-decorations-returned-to-veterans-and-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=142728","title":{"rendered":"Treasurer Stacy Garrity: 500 Military Decorations Returned to Veterans and Families"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Harrisburg, PA\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced that 500 military decorations and memorabilia have been returned to Veterans and their families since she took office in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs state treasurer, I safeguard every taxpayer dollar, but one of my favorite parts of the job isn\u2019t about the money at all \u2013 it\u2019s the work Treasury does to honor and thank our Veterans and their families by returning military medals that become unclaimed property,\u201d Treasurer Garrity said. \u201cEach item that comes to our vault is an important part of someone\u2019s story, and returning each one to the rightful owner who earned it or their family is a way to show our gratitude for their immense sacrifices for our nation\u2019s defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 500 medals and memorabilia returned by Treasurer Garrity include 12 Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars and one Gold Star Medal.<\/p>\n<p>Treasury\u2019s vault in Harrisburg still holds about 500 military decorations, including those from every branch of service and most major conflicts. Items include medals, pins, buttons, ribbons and more. Military decorations most often come to Treasury\u2019s unclaimed property program as the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe team at Treasury is dedicated to finding the Veterans and families whose medals are in our care,\u201d Treasurer Garrity said. \u201cFrom cold calls to deep-dive internet searches, and digging through records, they leave no stone unturned in the search for a Veteran. As long as I\u2019m Treasurer, we will never stop searching for the rightful owners. I encourage everyone to help us in the search for these Veterans and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anyone can help find the owners of the medals in Treasury\u2019s care by visiting\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com\/ls\/click?upn=u001.FmhHobfRmDHIrvbr6DVhUwu3kMM9lYOxRcmy6ZD5urbC88PoVYglTdljnVUpqOKQR1kp1SlLG54N2oxFGGOlRQ-3D-3DIiCG_ail3gdgmR7ioUfSQxyJnm8MPw15MJ-2FhGzhe7Unv9pV-2FowKeyGuHOmmLSKuyC34P7rM2O8Tm5FlWJJqjfnar-2BaTbn2nstrpP7OY7un8h5ihzSJu4mFdNUuQp1qa4adRJLzf1Nrob4tvsNJssNAzzQl30raAQueAAsnFRGixOFRV8GiRx-2FLtJaP01eO0wyU-2FdOpZFh0FiKECttE7ALVTiUrA-2Fz3rxZqhs8ZoaNfNTVaYhZMuFdHtxf9o-2FUA8ldbCO6Z6lav95eIC1FknDWbgd03jmcipcTXiEHaPAJ8YiuDltO2asmo5q2gyGqvZUJ4fuDdXNbW6ebGyXiNOi4XI7fTNA9UQkGt-2FF32ZtYLrlg2FwRIuYOfINIBvJ2NmiiADR7\">patreasury.gov\/unclaimed-property\/Medals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A few notable military returns include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Bronze Star and engraved military funeral bullet casing to the family of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com\/ls\/click?upn=u001.FmhHobfRmDHIrvbr6DVhUyqqbQtn-2FCbSJSZ87oC0bE7FuGS6aIrLLetG3txez4ePYfZ9Gw0-2FSl3uFjHgjs-2FoZwjPN-2BYb6paup6IQtrcejeHd4l3T5ERvMSEC-2BbKuu8MJlqpw_ail3gdgmR7ioUfSQxyJnm8MPw15MJ-2FhGzhe7Unv9pV-2FowKeyGuHOmmLSKuyC34P7rM2O8Tm5FlWJJqjfnar-2BaTbn2nstrpP7OY7un8h5ihzSJu4mFdNUuQp1qa4adRJLzf1Nrob4tvsNJssNAzzQl30raAQueAAsnFRGixOFRV8GiRx-2FLtJaP01eO0wyU-2FdOpZFh0FiKECttE7ALVTiUrA-2Fz3rxZqhs8ZoaNfNTVaYhR-2BULcn2ny3dsTdLZrksbp7XSLoE4FbmWCwfUCUD8w9Stfxp2k4EpFGOdsx-2B3YsZA2F-2BMWjbMtVrCDU9E48zONcqZUiUXCD2X2iY5c-2F82Jjjc3vMqxixYL6RyB7j5Vf7WW6fyOP1gWMhEWXQ9ELTka\">Frank Musto<\/a>, a U.S. Army Veteran who served his country during World War II. Musto, from Westmoreland County, enlisted when he was 19, and he was wounded in France. He was also the recipient of the Purple Heart, WWII Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, and European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Multiple Medals including the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Korea Medal and Korean War Service 50th Anniversary Medal earned by the late\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com\/ls\/click?upn=u001.FmhHobfRmDHIrvbr6DVhUyqqbQtn-2FCbSJSZ87oC0bE7FuGS6aIrLLetG3txez4ePRJYntYde-2FRZTSlvvYtmFByXOCpVnNmccT9LoW8usSEHe1ZxzgNSK8zqhglcco1XUk96i_ail3gdgmR7ioUfSQxyJnm8MPw15MJ-2FhGzhe7Unv9pV-2FowKeyGuHOmmLSKuyC34P7rM2O8Tm5FlWJJqjfnar-2BaTbn2nstrpP7OY7un8h5ihzSJu4mFdNUuQp1qa4adRJLzf1Nrob4tvsNJssNAzzQl30raAQueAAsnFRGixOFRV8GiRx-2FLtJaP01eO0wyU-2FdOpZFh0FiKECttE7ALVTiUrA-2Fz3rxZqhs8ZoaNfNTVaYhM1zqWVDpR93zBFijAQGfOEWt-2BDGjo7C0I9UWqrxWj3ifZAzLgxrC6L5Ciy4fqBAy3GyBj1Xte3cE2zGBis07kcuGwLA6-2BQsiUld9BoR8rnlqjsikuGBPQWCtTGpqBpExPRd7LSgF0ifnHx1HbHc99\">Timothy Marahoris<\/a> of Harrisburg were returned to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Marahoris served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He had no living relatives, and his church family accepted his decorations in his honor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>A Gold Star Mothers and Widows Pilgrimage Medal was returned to the Morrison family. The medal, presented to Agnes Morrison in 1933 when she visited her son,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com\/ls\/click?upn=u001.FmhHobfRmDHIrvbr6DVhUyqqbQtn-2FCbSJSZ87oC0bE7FuGS6aIrLLetG3txez4ePa9X1q32IHOGZV4XfyyYJ9nZIM9g64TAJO4bjSqdP92LcDe-2B9KtJFzvXvpo4RRDOp4fEM_ail3gdgmR7ioUfSQxyJnm8MPw15MJ-2FhGzhe7Unv9pV-2FowKeyGuHOmmLSKuyC34P7rM2O8Tm5FlWJJqjfnar-2BaTbn2nstrpP7OY7un8h5ihzSJu4mFdNUuQp1qa4adRJLzf1Nrob4tvsNJssNAzzQl30raAQueAAsnFRGixOFRV8GiRx-2FLtJaP01eO0wyU-2FdOpZFh0FiKECttE7ALVTiUrA-2Fz3rxZqhs8ZoaNfNTVaYjyQMruM5zEl0DtxPhSikERHSIutWSElFIAAR34rcRnDyyrY9k96XWoMn-2BI3biy7S4PDbzYNRIS69YtD1LqtN3NsX-2BuKbAOCmUJWpg5HoGzVVVL2lPlPzn9KvmA6yiw0d7WL-2FXhKdaxgqInLkL4eD8f\">Joseph William Morrison\u2019s<\/a> grave in France. Morrison, from Schuylkill County, was a member of the 554th Ambulance Service in World War I. He was killed in action just ten days before the end of the war. He was also the recipient of the Croix de Guerre with palm for his bravery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cAs a Veteran myself, every return is near and dear to my heart,\u201d Treasurer Garrity said. \u201cIt\u2019s my solemn duty to make sure every medal in our care is returned to the Veteran who earned it or to their family who also made tremendous sacrifices for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with the hundreds of military decorations waiting to be reunited with Veterans, Treasurer Garrity is working to return more than $5 billion worth of unclaimed property in Treasury\u2019s care. More than one in ten Pennsylvanians has unclaimed property, and the average value of a claim is $1,000.<\/p>\n<p>Unclaimed property includes things like\u00a0dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance policies, and more.\u00a0Most tangible unclaimed property comes from abandoned safety deposit boxes and can include things like jewelry, baseball cards, and other collectibles and family valuables. Visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com\/ls\/click?upn=u001.FmhHobfRmDHIrvbr6DVhUwAzMzVDfdmhPNN-2Bvs89DCqL2-2BCGLjSOIGeNDAo7l9reO6kuxGK8RzIPBmNes2mtLQ-3D-3DC-bb_ail3gdgmR7ioUfSQxyJnm8MPw15MJ-2FhGzhe7Unv9pV-2FowKeyGuHOmmLSKuyC34P7rM2O8Tm5FlWJJqjfnar-2BaTbn2nstrpP7OY7un8h5ihzSJu4mFdNUuQp1qa4adRJLzf1Nrob4tvsNJssNAzzQl30raAQueAAsnFRGixOFRV8GiRx-2FLtJaP01eO0wyU-2FdOpZFh0FiKECttE7ALVTiUrA-2Fz3rxZqhs8ZoaNfNTVaYi7B-2Bjvj82pvkTwSLwJiCyjGWAyfeKDb8YH2EzwvZ5Try5cyevW8eOQMJfNKLCf-2BEjTAVahLP4p-2BsGxDYQA1YGjdbWFqP-2FFlSzGrZVOY-2Bfnr4bbF8KsQO6LTigBkivbAgsuBKuuwleuzp6pushCrrpS\">patreasury.gov\/unclaimed-property<\/a>\u00a0to search for unclaimed property.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Information provided to TVL by:<br \/>\nSamantha Heckel<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Harrisburg, PA\u00a0\u2014 Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced that 500 military decorations and memorabilia have been returned to Veterans and their families since she took office in 2021. \u201cAs state treasurer, I &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=142728\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Treasurer Stacy Garrity: 500 Military Decorations Returned to Veterans and Families<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":142729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/military-decorations.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142728"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=142728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/142729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=142728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=142728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=142728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}