VALOR: We received a press release from Rochester, N.Y., that we had to share. It was titled “Stolen Purple Heart Reunited with Family of WWII Hero.” How could we pass that up?

The release was from the VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System, which is hosting a ceremony this morning at Rochester Calkins VA Clinic.

“First Lieutenant Herbert W. Stanford’s Purple Heart was stolen during a robbery.

“The family lost a significant piece of their family history and a tribute to their loved one who died during World War II in 1944. The family knew little about 1st Lt. Stanford’s death, until 1999, when a French woman shared her story about what she witnessed the day of his death.

“According to the French woman, she watched 1st Lt. Stanford and his fellow airman participate in a dog fight in which he was subsequently gunned down, with German Forces stripping his body of any identifiers and dragging it to the gates of the local cemetery.”

That was July 18, 1944. He was in the 388th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group. He’s buried in Plot F, Row 9, Grave 12, Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France. He served in the United States Army Air Forces.

“Recently, the Orleans County Sheriff came across a Purple Heart that was recovered from a robbery, with no name, just a number, and no lead. The sheriff’s office contacted VA Finger Lakes Police Chief Scribner, who assigned an investigator, ultimately identifying the owner of the Purple Heart” as Lt. Stanford.

This morning, VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System Police and the Orleans County Sheriff, will reunite 1st Lieutenant Herbert Stanford’s family with the missing Purple Heart.

That warms our hearts.