Lost Purple Heart returned to family of Vietnam War soldier nearly 60 years later

CHIPPEWA LAKE — Nearly six decades after Staff Sgt. Curtis R. Patton was killed in Vietnam, his Purple Heart has been returned to his family. Patton's sister, Faye Wilcox, and brother, Jerry Patton, accepted the medal on Monday during a ceremony at Chippewa Lake Yacht Club, attended by family members, veterans and representatives of the Purple Heart Honor Mission. The medal was discovered earlier this year in Dallas during an apartment cleanout. It was then turned over to Candace Harmon, who contacted the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, executive director Col. Russell Vernon said. The medal, which has Patton's name engraved on the back, was eventually traced to Patton's niece. "I've got your uncle's Purple Heart, and we're going to return it to you," Vernon said. During the ceremony, Vernon presented the medal to Wilcox and Jerry Patton, along with a shadow box designed to preserve it. Patton began his Vietnam tour on March 20, 1967, serving with Company B of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. The unit encountered heavy enemy fire in February 1968, according to an account from Carl Johnson, who served alongside Patton. Mortars struck the platoon on Feb. 4, wounding many soldiers and disabling a machine gun. As soldiers attempted to resupply the position with ammunition, Patton picked up two cans of ammunition and moved toward Johnson's position. Patton was killed during the action, along with 21 other soldiers. It took about two weeks for U.S. forces to retake the position and recover the soldiers' remains, Vernon said. Patton was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart. "The Purple Heart was lost at the time, and it weighed heavily on his family. I'm so proud that today it's clear he has not been forgotten, and will never, ever be forgotten," he said. Jerry Patton said the family was grateful for the medal's return and thanked veterans for their service. "Not just Curtis, but I want to thank all veterans. Words cannot express how we feel," he said. For Patton's family, the medal's return gives them a deeper connection to a soldier whose sacrifice has remained part of the family's history for nearly 60 years. Contact reporter Sam Russ at (330) 491-6962 or sruss@medina-gazette.com.