Forgotten War Medals Waiting to Be Claimed by Rightful Owners

South suburban veterans are among those whose military awards and artifacts sit in a vault beneath the State Capitol, and Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford is trying to get the medals into the right hands. Can you help?

Do you know Lawrence Burns of Homewood? The state of Illinois has his military service medals and would like to get these awards back to the veteran. The same goes for Allie Bates of Harvey, Jeffrey Siegler of Hazel Crest and Henry Est Vanhiel of Calumet City. These south suburban men and a few dozen other Illinoisans have unclaimed military medals, awards and artifacts sitting in the Illinois treasurer's Unclaimed Property Division vault. The vault beneath the State Capitol contains thousands of lost or forgotten valuables, including nearly 200 military items. The military awards span more than a century of American conflict, including one medal that dates back to the Spanish American War, circa 1898. Other priceless items include service…

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