Daniel W. Quinlan's Purple Heart medal is going to be reunited with his grandson soon, after years of being lost from his family's possession.
The U.S. military gave Purple Heart medals to 138 World War I veterans, and Quinlan was one of the decorated war soldiers to receive it.
He was 20 when he enlisted in the Army in 1917, became a member of the 77th Infantry Division, assigned to the 305th Regiment and served in the sanitary detachment, which is equivalent to the medical corps of the military today, ABC News reports.
He was injured in a poison gas attack in France in August 1918. This did not stop him, though, as a month later, he still continued to treat the wounded amongst his comrades. He earned a Silver Star for his bravery, the third highest military combat decoration in the U.S. army.
His family lost track of the medal he received during a 1932 ceremony held at the Hudson Valley historic site, where historians say Gen. George Washington issued a precursor to the Purple Heart, which is awarded to those wounded or killed in combat, according to Fox News.
The medal was found by Joseph Hardy. He found it in the attic of his home as he was cleaning out before selling it. The house was near where the Quinlan's used to live.
After reading on a local newspaper about the group Purple Hearts United, he decided to contact the group and gave them the medal. The group then traced the descendants of the soldier.
