Antique Safe Opens Up Military Mystery
A man bought an old safe at a garage sale and discovered World War II medals inside it. Now, he’s looking for the family of the recipient.
Some collectibles are sought for their looks, but with others, it’s what’s inside that counts. When Ben Cameron of Royal Oak, Michigan, bought an old safe at a garage sale in Madison Heights, the contents turned out to be the most interesting part.
The safe was locked, and the seller said he had never opened it. After Cameron took it home, he had a locksmith open it. Inside were some everyday paper ephemera, like letters and prescription pads, and surprisingly, two medals from World War II: a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
The medals were accompanied by a letter of commendation dated June 30, 1945. During an interview with FOX 2 Detroit, Cameron read the letter out loud.
"That Private First-Class Milford Magnuson received the Bronze Star as well as the Purple Heart for meritorious service under fire in the Pacific theater of World War II. Despite the intense enemy fire private Magnusson with utter disregard for his own safety, moved forward and administered first aid to every wounded man at in the platoon. Several of the wounded he carried back to a position of safety…in addition to caring for the men of the machine gun platoon, Private Magnuson cared for more than 20 riflemen during the day. When he ran out of medical supplies, he proceeded to the aid station for more supplies - even though he was surrounded by enemy mortar and artillery fire along the entire route."
Cameron is now seeking information about Magnuson’s family so he can return the medals to them. He told FOX 2, “Being a veteran myself, I feel like this would be really important to the family.”
An additional mystery, or a possible clue, comes from a name stenciled on the safe: “Carl G. Granacher.” Cameron hopes to find his family, too, and learn how the medals came to be stored in his safe.
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