Mesa, Ariz. — An unusual find at a Goodwill store led an Arizona couple on a nationwide search.
Laura and Jake Hardy found a Purple Heart medal at a Goodwill jewelry counter. The price tag on the item was $4.99.
The couple bought the item, but had no intentions of keeping it. Instead, they took to the Internet to search for the rightful owner.
Laura Hardy posted an image of the medal on Facebook on March 12. In her post, she wrote: “Looking for the family of Eual H. Whiteman. Deceased in nineteen ninety one. What a shame to find it at Goodwill for $4.99.”
Looking for the family of Eual H. Whiteman. Deceased in nineteen ninety one. What a shame to find it at Goodwill for $4.99.
Posted by Laura Waldock Hardy on Saturday, March 12, 2016
The post has been shared almost 100,000 times.
Laura Hardy posted an update on March 17, thanking everyone for helping locate the war hero’s family. She wrote: “Needless to say, they are thrilled and so are we. Go Facebook!”
Thanks to all the people across the country who helped us locate this war hero's family. Needless to say , they are...
Posted by Laura Waldock Hardy on Thursday, March 17, 2016
A group called Veteran Buddy Finder helped solve the mystery. The medal was mistakenly donated to Goodwill and belongs to Whiteman’s nephew in Missouri.
According to Goodwill, the medal should never have been up for sale. Whenever personal honors such as medals are donated, Goodwill works with veterans’ groups to find the rightful owner.
Cox Media Group
