Purple Heart medal returned to veteran's family 80 years after his death

Purple Heart medal returned to veterans family 80 years after his death

A Purple Heart medal found in a Georgia junkyard is returned to a family member of the World War II veteran who earned the honor.

NOVATO, Calif. - On Wednesday evening, VFW Post in the North Bay held a ceremony to return a medal won at great cost by a fighter pilot killed in World War II to a family. The ceremony took place in Novato.

Found in Georgia junkyard

The Purple Heart is a medal awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving in the military. This Purple Heart was found in a Newnan, Georgia auto salvage lot under the seat of a forklift.

"I would say it's a minor miracle that it ever got found in the first place," said Novato VFW Post 7816 Commander Richard Saber.

The salvage yard employee turned the metal over to a local VFW post.

How it got into a Georgia scrapyard is unknown, but the VFW Commander knew what to do. He took it to a local historian who was able to find the medal recipient, inscribed with David T. McMahon, who was a resident of Michigan when he died.

Lieutenant McMahon was a Lieutenant and a World War II P-51 Mustang pilot in the 348th Army Air Corps Fighter Group. He died in a crash in the Philippines in 1945, 80 years ago.

"That medal, when it was first given to me here, the only thing I cared about was getting it to somebody who was part of the family because that is where it belongs," said Jeff Bouchard the VFW Post Commander in Georgia.

That somebody was a niece of the medal winner who lives in Bolinas.

New connection

"My uncle died three years before I was born, so I don't really know too much about him, but in these last two weeks I learned more than I ever knew. I guess I had a lot of sadness. You know he died so young," said McMahon’s niece Lee Chisholm Colodzin.

After the medal was given to her by another Purple Heart recipient, another member of the Post read from a certificate presented by the Manila Cemetery where the pilot is buried.

"Time will not dim the glory of their deeds; a quote from General Pershing."

The niece was very humbled by it all.

"I feel very honored that they all took so much time and energy to make this happen. I imagine I'll be passing it on to my grandson," she said.

Lieutenant McMahon is buried at the Manila's American Cemetery and holds the Purple Heart for death as well as the Air Medal for bravery and meritorious achievement.

"Wouldn't you say that's a set of coincidences that had to be established by God?" asked Novato Post Commander Saber.

While Georgia is a red state and California is a blue state, to this family, they're both red, white and blue.

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