SAN ANTONIO – The son of a man killed in World War II 75 years ago received something of his father’s that’s been missing for some time: a Purple Heart.
Forest Cook said his father, Charles, was killed near the Belgian-German border on Dec. 1, 1944, during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest.
Cook never met his father. He was born five days after his father’s death.
“I turned 75 this year. My father’s death was 75 years ago. So at 75, to have this back in the family and still be in good health, (I) really look forward to sharing this with my grandsons,” Cook said.
Son to receive father’s long lost Purple Heart
The medal was found 10 years ago by a local auction company owner.
Derek Shull said he tried to track down Cook’s family but did not have any luck.
“So years ago, when I started looking for the guy, (I) couldn’t find any information ... genealogy websites weren’t around,” Shull said. “Now, there’s a wealth of information, so it makes it a lot easier. But 10 years ago, when I found the medal, there was nothing. So I had a stroke a few years ago, forgot completely about it, put it in a box, put it on a shelf and found the medal about a month ago. And I started this process. And just to see it completed like this is awesome.”
Descendent of Purple Heart recipient found
Shull was able to track down Cook with the help of Tony Roman and the staff with the Order of the Purple Heart.
“They called me and they said, ‘We found a Purple Heart,’” Roman said. “So we did research ... found the obituary and worked backwards, and we found the son.”
“I so much appreciate everyone helping get this back to me and back to my family,” Cook said. “I have a lot of memorabilia of my father, his flag and other medals, but he didn’t have this original Purple Heart. So to get it back in the family is just tremendous.”