An 11-year-old West Texas boy's mission to find the relatives of a deceased Purple Heart recipient has ended in success.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports that Jamyn Valdez last week returned the Purple Heart and a United Nations Service Medal for Korea to David Catlin's relatives.
Catlin never returned from Korea. The medals were given to his family, who told the newspaper they were unknowingly left behind in a move about 40 years ago.
Valdez's grandfather said he discovered the medals in the attic of his new home in 1975. Three years ago, Valdez found them and began searching for Catlin's relatives.
A story in the newspaper last year when Catlin's remains were returned for burial in a nearby town helped Valdez find Catlin's relatives.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
