Daughter claims late father’s unearthed Purple Heart

An organization that connects lost military medals with veterans or their families says a Denver woman has stepped forward to claim her father’s Purple Heart after it was unearthed in a backyard.

After trying unsuccessfully to find relatives, Purple Hearts Reunited held a ceremony Sunday at the Denver grave of Korean War veteran Richmond L. Litman. Zachariah Fike, who founded the group, said Monday that shortly after news reports of the ceremony aired, a woman called him and was able to provide documents to verify her claim.

Their dog dug up the medal a decade ago behind the house Steve Jankousky and his partner, Tom Unterwagner, bought in 1994. They were unable to locate Litman or his relatives. Years later, they contacted Fike’s group, which was founded in 2012.