A war medal can be one of the most prized possessions of any family. That’s why one local vet says he had to do something when he saw several war medals being sold at a Clark County thrift shop.
Andrew Gill was just walking through Peddler’s Mall in Winchester looking for a table, something to sit some stuff on at his house. What he ended up finding instead though was something he couldn’t believe – several war medals in a frame with a picture of war hero Julian D. Haynes. It sat on a shelf above a gum ball machine and next to some coffee mugs.
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Debra Burchett runs the booth, and says her husband picked the medals up. “He actually attended a local auction in Paintsville,” she said.
Gill didn’t know the back story, and didn’t really have the $75 to spend on it. “I didn’t get it at the time,” he said. “I came back and it just ate me up a little bit.”
So, Gill eventually paid the money because he says he knew he had to. “It’s gone from the family and it’s something that should be remembered and cherished.”
And he should know. Gill himself has spent his fair share of time overseas. He earned several medals, including a purple heart for his time in Iraq. Now, he says he wants someone else who fought as hard as he did to never have his service erased.
“Well, I’d like to find the family that it belongs to,” he said. “That way, they can have it for generations to come.”
If you know someone who knows something about those medals or maybe you know something about them and you want to get in touch with Gill, send an e-mail by clicking here. Gill says the hero pictured next to the medals served in the German, Tunisian and Italian campaigns.
