WAUPUN — Waupun area local Katie Brewer is returning the long-lost Purple Heart medallion to its rightful place with its family on the other side of the county.
Earlier this year Katie Brewer was going through old belongings and came across the Purple Heart engraved with the name PFC William A. Derksema, USMC. William Derksema served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and was killed in action in the Quang Nam province on November 9th, 1966. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for giving his life in the service of the Armed Forces in Vietnam.
The total history of Derksema’s Purple Heart is unknown up to now. It is likely that Katie’s father had purchased it at a flea market or antique shop before his passing a few years ago, but how it ended up in Wisconsin is still a mystery.
“It just goes to show how amazing my dad was, because that was my whole driving force. I wanted to meet these people and to see it to the end because that’s what dad would have wanted,” Brewer said.
Katie Brewer contacted the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), who helped her get in contact with a nephew of the recipient who lives in Idaho. The rest of their family live in Washington state, where two of the surviving brothers currently reside.
Some of the family members of the recipient were initially skeptical about Katie’s story, suspecting it to be some type of scam, but after Katie sent photographs proving she had the medal they thanked her for finding it and offering to return it.
Brewer originally intended to personally return the medal by taking a road trip to Idaho and Washington, but attempts at fundraising to cover the costs of the 22 hour drive were less than adequate. Katie agreed to have it shipped on the condition that they record their family’s reaction to receiving it.
