Army Veteran Returns A War Hero’s Medals After 50 Years: “They Are Back Where They Belong!
After finding another war hero's badges of honor, the army veteran felt a pull to return the medals
Peter LundBorg stood at his Pentwater, Michigan, workbench about to start a special project. The 79-year-old Army veteran wanted to frame the medals and commendations he’d received during his service in Vietnam. But as he worked, something nagged at him: the old box on the back of his workbench that held another soldier’s medals.
It was the spring of ’71 when Peter was transferred to a new unit to finish up the little bit of time left on his tour of duty in Vietnam. When he was sent back stateside, his sergeant handed him a box and asked him to make sure it got delivered to the solider on the label: field medic John Nordgaard.
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When John was discharged, there hadn’t been a mail clerk in the unit, so he left his box of medals with his sergeant, who now handed it to Peter.
But before Peter boarded the flight home, a guard confiscated his duffle and the box. “We need to check these for contraband, then we’ll ship them home for you.”
Peter headed to Fort Hood, Texas, to finish out his service. His duffle and the box went to his parents’ Michigan home.
When Peter finally caught up with his belongings, he discovered the flap on the box had been torn. John’s name was still there, but the address was gone. This was long before the internet. But now, 50 years later, with so many online resources available, Peter wondered if there might be a way to find John. Not social media savvy, Peter asked his son, Andy, for help.
Peter had just finished mounting his own medals when he heard back from Andy. “I think I found John’s daughter in Ohio! I sent her an email!” he happily reported.
Unfortunately, his email went to her junk folder, where it remained for three years before she finally stumbled upon it.
Growing up, she’d heard stories about the medals her dad had been awarded — a Bronze Star for meritorious service and a Purple Heart when he was injured in a firefight risking his life to save several wounded soldiers — and how they had never made it home to him.
She immediately contacted Peter, who insisted on traveling to John’s home in Milwaukee to hand-deliver the box.
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“Thank you,” John beamed.
“I’ve always been proud of my service, but now I also have the proof that my country is proud of me,” he says.
“As a vet, I know how much those medals mean to a fella,” says Peter. “I’m sure happy they finally made it back where they belong.”
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