MASHPEE, MASS. (WHDH) - A Bronze Star Medal was returned to the family of a decorated Massachusetts veteran after the medal had been missing for more than three decades, Massachusetts State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg announced Monday.
The Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Division helped return Staff Sgt. Walter Frye Sr.’s Bronze Star Medal to his son, Walter Frye Jr., an MBTA employee, during a special ceremony recognizing the veteran’s distinguished military service.
Frye Sr. enlisted in the United States Army at age 20 and served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He served with the 999th Armored Field Artillery Battalion and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in 1951 for his service during the Korean War. A Bronze Star Medal is awarded to soldiers who exhibit heroic achievement or service in combat zones.
The medal was recovered by the Unclaimed Property Division and traced back to the Frye family as part of the Treasury’s efforts to reunite military honors with their rightful owners or heirs.
“We’re able to help take care of so many veterans and service members who sacrificed so much in order to help take care of the rest of us,” Goldberg said. “These medals represent true heroics. These occasions, you know, make all of the tough days worth while.”
Frye Jr. said the medal has been missing for more than 35 years, since his father passed away in 1990. He said being able to hold it again was worth the wait.
“I remember as a child…I used to climb up on my father’s dresser and go into his little skybox and play with it and everything. When I got the call, it was…I was shaking as I am right now, I’m really glad to have this back,” Frye Jr. said. “This isn’t really about me, or my family, or anyone else. This is really about my father being honored because he was a quiet, unassuming man, and I think it’s worth celebrating him and his contributions.”
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