World War II Hero’s Purple Heart Returned to Family in Illinois

This comes just in time for Memorial Day.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced today that an honored piece of American history is being returned to the family of a local hero.

According to the press release, a long-lost Purple Heart medal was returned to the grandson of Army Corporal Henry Van Der Noord who served as a World War II veteran from Lansing, Illinois.

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The medal was awarded for wounds that Van Der Noord sustained during a brutal fight to liberate the Philippines in May of 1945, and has been sitting in a safe deposit box for years.

During a medal presentation to the family, Frerichs said, "This is an honor that deserves to be in their loving hands."

A Family of Heroes

Henry Van Der Noord was one of four brothers who all served in World War II, and all made it home.

Known as "Babe," the youngest of eight kids, Van Der Noord was part of the 38th Field Artillery Division on Luzon when shrapnel struck his back on May 3, 1945. While recovering, he discovered his brother Edward was in the same hospital with a parachuting injury.

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Other Van Der Noord brothers also served, including one who survived a sinking Navy ship off the coast of Okinawa, while another operated a military railroad in Europe, according to the press release.

After the war, Henry Van Der Noord returned home to Lansing, Illinois, where he became a police officer and co-founded a construction company with his brother Edward.

A Medal That Grew in Meaning

Van Der Noord's grandson, Christopher Reed, also a veteran, received the Purple Heart during the presentation ceremony and recalled seeing the award as a kid:

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. Fast forward 10 years, and I’m in the Air Force. Then it was like, ‘Wow, that’s a big deal.’ They just don’t hand these things out. A lot of people’s next of kin got them. It meant more as I got older. It was quite an honor. -Christopher Reed, Grandson of Henry Van Der Noord

Van Der Noord's medal is the 13th that has been returned through Operation Purple Heart, Frerichs' ongoing campaign to reconnect these priceless honors with the families they belong to.

CLICK HERE to see if you recognize a name that's posted on the Operation Purple Heart website.

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