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Danbury Landlord Helps Reunite Purple Heart With Family Of WW II Vet

DANBURY, Conn. -- The owner of several commercial properties in Danbury returned the Purple Heart of a World War II veteran to his family in Florida after his son found the medallion in a box from a pawn shop.

Camillo Santomero, right, and German Serna helped reunite a Purple Heart medallion with the family of a World War II veteran. The medal was found in boxes from a pawn shop in Danbury.

Camillo Santomero, right, and German Serna helped reunite a Purple Heart medallion with the family of a World War II veteran. The medal was found in boxes from a pawn shop in Danbury.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Raymond Ferrer, left, was a World War II veteran and prisoner of war. A Danbury landlord helped reunite the Purple Heart he was awarded after it was discovered in a box.

Raymond Ferrer, left, was a World War II veteran and prisoner of war. A Danbury landlord helped reunite the Purple Heart he was awarded after it was discovered in a box.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Raymond Ferrer's Purple Heart is now back with his family in Florida.

Raymond Ferrer's Purple Heart is now back with his family in Florida.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Camillo Santomero, whose family owns a number of retail buildings in Danbury, said his son, also named Camillo, discovered the Purple Heart.

The younger Santomero, 17 at the time, was assisting his grandfather, who purchased shelving from a pawn shop that was closing. The pawn shop owners asked that he take some boxes along with the shelving.

While going through the boxes, Camillo asked his grandfather about the medal, which had the name “Raymond Ferrer” on it.

“My son had no idea what it was,’’ Camillo Santomero said. “My father knew exactly what it was.”

The Santomeros were eager to return the medals to Ferrer’s family, and Camillo and his business associate, German Serna, contacted to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, which referred Serna to Purple Hearts Reunited.

Purple Hearts Reunited was able to locate Ferrer’s granddaughter, Amy (Dalen) Garry, who advised Serna to return the medal to her parents.

Her father, Keith Dalen, was raised by Ferrer. After Ferrer’s death in 1992, the Purple Heart had been shuffled among family members, from New York to Connecticut. It is unclear how the medallion ended up in a box at the pawn shop.

The Purple Heart is now  safe in the hands of Keith and Ruth Dalen, Ferrer’s direct family members in Estero, Fla.

The entire process of reuniting the Purple Heart with the family took nearly five months, Santomero said.

“We actually found a second one, but there was no way to tell who it belonged to,’’ Santomero said. “There’s no way in a million years we thought we’d be able to return it to the family.”

Ferrer was born in April 1910 in Puerto Rico, and died on Oct. 15, 1992. He served in World War II from April 7, 1941, to Aug. 3, 1954. He was first listed as a prisoner of war on Dec. 20, 1944, and released on May 18, 1945. Ferrer was in Stalag 11B Fallingbostel Prussia (Work Camps) 53-09 in Germany.

In addition to the Purple Heart, SSG Ferrer’s other decorations include a Prisoner of War Medal, American Defense Service Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle-East Service Medal with 1 silver service star (Ardennes, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe), Marksman Badge with Rifle bar, Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Honorable WWII Service Lapel Button.

“We feel great that is has been returned to the family,’’ Santomero said. “Their father and grandfather served our country and he deserves it.”

The nonprofit foundation Purple Hearts Reunited was created in 2012 by a combat-wounded veteran, and works to return lost or stolen military medals of valor to veterans or their families to honor their sacrifices to the nation. The organization is funded by donations and has returned medals to over 100 military families and museums to date.

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