JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A Purple Heart found in a box of memorabilia in Jacksonville is headed to the family of the man who received the prestigious recognition in 1943.
The Daily News of Jacksonville reported that Debra Allen found the Purple Heart belonging to Olin White in a box and began searching for White's family.
Eventually, Dan Stoy of the Military Order of the Purple Heart picked up the search. He found White's niece, Lynn White, living in China Grove. He's delivering the Purple Heart on Saturday.
Olin White was one of 183 soldiers who sank with the USS Drexler when Japanese kamikaze pilots struck it during World War II.
Stoy says the medal will give the family closure since White's body was never found.
