Veteran Loses His Purple Heart Metals In A Robbery But Gets Them Back Four Decades Later

Gus Allbritton is a Vietnam veteran who is the recipient of three Purple Hearts. His home was robbed about four decades ago and someone stole one of the metals.

Recently, Gus was able to get it back, thanks to Google and some volunteer efforts.

It all started while Gus was at work about 40 years ago. He was a Sheriff’s deputy at the time and burglars, realizing he was at work, broke into his home and stole a number of guns and a glass water bottle filled with coins.

Among the many items that were stolen was one of the three purple hearts that he was awarded when he was wounded during the Vietnam War.

According to the Washington Post, two of the other metals were given to his son and daughter by the 71-year-old veteran.

He thought that the other medal would be safe in the bottle of coins, but when he saw that the entire bottle was gone, he thought he would never see it again. According to the post, he said: “I reported it missing, but I knew the odds were slim to none that I’d ever get it back.”

These days, Gus lives in Dublin, GA, and volunteers at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center. He had a message waiting one day that someone had found his purple heart. There was also a phone number to call someone in Florida named Jamie Bath.

It seems that Bath had purchased the medal for $2 at a yard sale and knew it had to get back to its rightful owner. After using Google to track down Gus, it was returned to him after 4 decades of being missing.

The Washington Post reported he said: “When Jamie called and said he’d like to mail me back my medal, I gave him my address. And sure enough, it arrived just a few days later in a little box.”

Perhaps Gus summed things up best when he said: “It’s a very humanitarian thing he did.”

We’re so glad to hear he was reunited with his medal! It just goes to show that there’s some kindness left in the world.