ABOUT
The Unclaimed Property Division of the Illinois State Treasurer's Office presently has in its care nearly two hundred items belonging to past and present servicemen and women. These items include military medals, artifacts, ribbons, and awards spanning over a century of American conflict – one military medal even dates back to the Spanish American War circa 1890. Other priceless items include service records, dog tags and commendations from World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

MISSION
It is the goal of the Illinois State Treasurer's Office to reunite these very important military medals and awards with the men and women who earned them through their great sacrifice and service. The staff of the State Treasurer's Office is proud to undertake this project and hopes to reunite all the awards with their rightful owners.

WHERE DID THESE MEDALS AND AWARDS COME FROM?
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office came to be the caretaker of these medals and military artifacts after they were lost, misplaced or forgotten. Oftentimes, a veteran of the armed forces or a family member has stored these objects in a bank’s safety deposit box and then subsequently forgotten about them over time. For example, the nephew of a World War II serviceperson may have stored their uncle's military commendations in a safety deposit box and later passed away, leaving no record for other family to recover the items from the secure place. In time, the bank or financial institution relinquishes stewardship of this particular box to the State of Illinois, and more specifically, the State Treasurer's Office. We then serve as the custodian for these items, storing and protecting them in the state vault under the Capitol building until they may be reunited with whom they rightfully belong.


THE INDIVIDUALS LISTED BELOW OWN OR HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION TO THE MEDALS AND AWARDS HELD FOR SAFEKEEPING BY THE OFFICE OF THE STATE TREASURER.

If you have contact with any of these individuals, please email DanRutherford@treasurer.state.il.us or call the treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Division at 217-785-6998. If you would like to file a claim for one of these individuals, click here.