Missing WWII medals returned after decades
Published: January 25, 2007
A war hero is remembered — more than six decades after he was killed in World War II.
Several medals and an old picture turned up in Virginia years after they went missing, and now they are back with their rightful owners.
No one is sure how the World War II military medals and old pictures ended up in Virginia, but a family there finally decided to find the rightful owners.
Some of the pictures the family had listed Statesville addresses so the family called the VFW post there.
It would be months though before any living relatives could be found.
If not for William Hendren, the missing medals and photo album may never have found their rightful home.
Hendren spent months trying to track down relatives of Alan Burgess, who died in World War II at age 19.
After several dead ends he contacted the local Veterans Service Officer who was able to link Burgess to Jim Mayhew.
“He was looking through the picture book and came across a picture of himself in there when he was in the service,” said Hendren.
“Once I saw them I remembered exactly where they were on the wall and everything,” said Mayhew.
It’s an emotional moment for Mayhew, who said the pictures were lost after his great aunt moved from her home in Statesville decades ago.
“She had lost so much with her son in the Army and a son in the accident . . .it would have to mean a lot, it really would,” said Mayhew.
The medals tell the story of a brave soldier, but for Mayhew the picture album brings back memories he thought were forgotten.
“The memory of a 20-year-old person trying to teach a 60-year-old female how to drive a vehicle that had never driven in her life,” said Mayhew.
Mayhew even discovered that he and his second cousin attended the same grade school.
It’s a rare reunion and Hendren said he’s just glad he was able to help a soldier who couldn’t help himself.
“This is the first encounter as I said that I’ve had and I’m just tickled plum down to my toes that I’ve accomplished my mission,” said Hendren.
Mayhew now keeps the medals and pictures in his officer where he looks at them every day.
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