Couple Find Stolen Purple Heart In Used RV, Return It To Family

PORTLAND, OR — Finding loose change or odd knick knacks in a used car isn't necessarily unusual, but finding a Korean War medal — a Purple Heart, specifically? That's got to be pretty rare.

Having fallen on tough times, Keri and Jeffrey Drury of Portland were recently gifted an older RV in-need of repairs. The RV wasn't functional yet, but the Drurys were also given a space to park while they got the mobile home up and running again.

The week before Memorial Day they moved into the well-used RV and quickly found it wasn't entirely empty: along with an assortment of garbage, the Drurys spotted a Purple Heart from the Korean War with the name Derral G. Tarrance inscribed on the back.

“There were broken plates, razor blades, needles — just all sorts of trash," Jeffrey told KSTU News in Salt Lake City. “I just saw a little bit of the purple of the Purple Heart and instantly recognized the ribbon and knew what it was without even picking it up."

Recognizing the medal was one thing; knowing where to locate the person to whom it was originally bestowed was another.

The Drurys reportedly made a post on Facebook seeking the medal's owner, using Derral's name as the only lead. Comments quickly came flooding in.

“It's almost as if Derral's sprit was directing, saying, 'ya know, I want to go home, I don't belong here,'” Keri told KSTU.

Eventually, the post made its way to Derral's family who immediately reached out to the Drurys.

According to Derral's family, the home of Derral's widow in Salt Lake City, Utah, was burglarized some months back and the Purple Heart was one of the items taken — along with Derral's ash-filled urn, a memorial flag, and all his awards and certificates from his time in the service.

Derral reportedly died in 2011.

“It was heartbreaking," Derral's daughter, Cindi Dempsey, told katu news in Portland. "We couldn't believe someone would stoop that low."

How the medal alone ended up on the RV and in Portland are a mystery, but the Drurys were more interested in getting the Purple Heart back to Derral's family.

One of Derral's daughters just happened to be in Portland around the same time and was able to swing by and pick up the medal from the Drurys just before Memorial Day.

“To be found where it was and how it was, facts are stranger than fiction right?” Dempsey said. “It was a part of him; it was a big part of him, so to have it taken was losing a piece of our family."

“Heirlooms are important to my wife and I," Jeffrey told KATU. "We lost five children already so heirlooms and memories attached to them are very important."

Now, with the medal mystery solved, the Drurys have returned to focusing on getting their RV back into a habitable state — and they'll need to work quickly as Keri is due to have the Drury's son in August.

In a bid for assistance, the Drurys have setup a GoFundMe account with a $4,000 goal. They're hoping to raise enough money to help them get the RV running and find a place to put it more permanently.

"We were glad that even in a time where we need all the help we can get we were still able to help another family," Jeffrey wrote on GoFundMe. "We ask for donations to help us finally be able to stand. To finally be able to take each blow that life hands out without falling down completely. We ask for help to be able to have basic human amenities. To be able to shower before work. Cook a decent meal. Somewhere to sleep without fear of intruders. And a place to store the belongings needed to see face (sic) tomorrow head on. A place that is truely (sic) our home."

To help out the Drurys, check out their GoFundMe campaign here.

Image courtesy of KOIN

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner