On May 1, 1945, Pvt. Richard Earl Gregor, of Farmington, was killed in action in Okinawa, just two weeks before his 19th birthday.
On Friday, the Purple Heart he earned that day found its way home.
Gregor’s Purple Heart was given to his half brother, 83-year-old Robert Gregor, by the Marion County Historical Society Museum.
“It means a lot to me, yes,” Gregor said of receiving the Purple Heart. “I’ll be able to pass it on down to my sons.”
The two share a father, who was briefly married to Richard’s mother before divorcing and marrying Robert’s mother, according to Marion County Historical Society Museum Executive Director Joni Morris.
Robert said he didn’t really know his brother, who was 10 years older, but he remembers Richard visiting their father before he joined the Army.
Robert said he had no idea what happened to Richard until his son saw a news article last fall when the Purple Heart was given to the museum by Purple Hearts Reunited, a nonprofit that returns lost Purple Hearts to next of kin.
Richard joined the Army on Sept. 21, 1944, for the duration of the war, plus six months, according to information found by Purple Hearts Reunited. He served in Company C, 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He is buried in Honolulu, Hawaii. Richard also earned the Bronze Star.
According to Purple Hearts Reunited:
The Purple Heart started as the Badge of Military Merit and was established by George Washington, then leader of the Continental Army, on Aug. 7, 1782.
Washington awarded the Badge of Military Merit to three Revolutionary War soldiers and authorized subordinate officers to issue the award as appropriate.
After World War I, General Douglas MacArthur confidentially reopened work for a new design. On the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth, Feb. 22, 1932, the Purple Heart was revived out of respect for his memory and military achievements.
Today, the Purple Heart is awarded to members of the military wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917.
An estimated 1.8 million Purple Hearts have been awarded.
