P.O. Box 2121 Georgia, VT 05468 315-523-3609 Purpleheartsreunited@gmail.com www.purpleheartsreunited.org FACEBOOK: Purple Hearts Reunited INC.

18 OCT 2013 For Immediate Release

Long Lost WWII Heros Purple Heart will be reunited with his family
On 09 November 2013, at 11a.m., the lost Purple Heart of a WWII Navy Veteran, Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class (AO3c) Gordon Hugh Yates, will be reunited with his sister at a special ceremony at Zerbe Sisters Nursing Center, Woodlawn Heights, 2499 Zerbe Road, Narvon, PA 17555. AO3c Yates was born on 11 January 1926 in Pottstown, NY. He would later go onto serve in the United States Navy during WWII as a Navy Aircraft Gunner. On 29 January 1945, during their 36th mission, Navy PBM-3D Patrol Bomber (BuNo 45309) was conducting a search mission when it was damaged by hostile antiaircraft fire from a Japanese ship. It was forced to land near Tam Quan, Indochina. All crewmen reached shore and were aided by the French resistance. Eventually, the entire crew was captured by the Japanese and held prisoner. Three of the crew survived their captivity, the remaining men were killed. AO3c Yates was specifically beheaded at the hands of the enemy on 27 April 1945. AO3c also participated in the battles of Leyte Gulf in October of 1944, and Mindoro in December of 1944. For his sacrifice, he was awarded the Purple Heart. He also received the Air Medal with 1/OLC, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal, and the Navy Air Crewman Wings.

AO3c Gordon H. Yates

The lost Purple Heart was found over 30 years ago in Ashland, VA. The person who found it cant remember the circumstances, but turned the medal over to the Adjutant of the Greater Richmond Chapter #1965 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Mr. Jim Cuthbertson. Mr. Cuthbertson, himself a Purple Heart recipient, understood the importance of the medal and knew it had to be returned to his family. With the assistance of Purple Hearts Reunited, the family was located. The medals will be professionally framed by donation from The Whimsical Pig located in Watertown, NY, which will be presented at the ceremony. Purple Hearts Reunited is a Non-Profit Foundation, which locates lost or stolen Military Medals and returns them to Veterans or their families in order to honor their sacrifice to the nation. PHR donates a considerable amount of their personal time and finances to researching and locating the original recipient or family in order to conduct a Return Ceremony to reunite the veteran or family with the medal. To date, they have conducted over 60 returns and are currently working on over 100 medals that need a home. The Whimsical Pig Framing: www.thewhimsicalpig.net