Purple Heart medal returned to family of Illinois WWII Marine

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The family of a late Marine from Decatur, Illinois was reunited with his Purple Heart medal.

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Private First-Class Delbert Tuttle earned the award after he was hurt during the Battle of Saipan in 1944.

Despite getting hurt, Tuttle stayed on the battlefield to help his fellow troops.

Last month, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned Tuttle's Purple Heart to his daughter Carolyn Peckham.

"I've been waiting a long time for this. It is an honor to me, knowing that dad, not only served this country, but he also defended it well," she said.

The medal one of twelve that Frerichs office has been able to return.

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They were found inside abandoned safe deposit boxes.

"These medals personify honor, sacrifice, and duty," Frerichs said. "I am grateful we returned this Purple Heart, and we continue to seek the assistance of Illinois residents to help us return these medals to the loving care of their families."

Tuttle was born in Tuscola, Illinois, on Oct. 6, 1919.

When he returned from service, he briefly lived in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood, where he met his future wife, Lorraine Fellows.

They married Dec. 31, 1950, and moved to Decatur, where he worked as a machinist for the A. W. Cash Company.

He died April 16, 1972, in Forsyth, just north of Decatur, while battling lung cancer.

He is buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield.

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