The family of a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran has been given his medals, which went missing following his 1980 funeral.
The nonprofit Purple Hearts Reunited is set to hold a ceremony Saturday afternoon in a Dallas suburb to return the medals to the widow and children of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Carter Stephens, a Green Beret who served two tours in Vietnam.
His decorations include the Silver Star for gallantry, the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart.
Stephens died at the age of 34 in a car accident at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. After his medals were displayed at his funeral, the casualty assistance officer helping the family ended up with them, but didn't realize he had the medals in a shoebox until about a decade ago.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
