Gus Allbritton’s road to Vietnam was a whirlwind.
He graduated from high school on a Friday, received his draft notice in the mail, and found himself at Fort Benning, Georgia, training to become an Army infantryman on a Monday. He served in Vietnam with the 173rd Infantry Regiment from 1969-1970.
When he was discharged, the then 20-year-old Allbritton received his third Purple Heart on a parade field at Fort Hood, Texas.
“The paperwork was processed a lot slower then so when my tour was complete, I flew to Fort Hood, Texas, to finish my enlistment,” he said in a VA blog post. “It was there the award was approved and an officer pinned it to my uniform.”
After moving back to Florida, Albritton began a career in law enforcement, the medal made its way inside a large, glass water bottle containing loose change and other items Allbritton collected as the years went by.
A thief stole the bottle and other items after breaking into Albritton’s home in 1983. Allbritton knew through his law enforcement experience that there was a slim chance of recovering his stolen property.
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Then a miracle happened.
Jamie Bath was sorting through some items on a flea market table 38 years later. He discovered a medallion in the shape of a golden heart with George Washington’s likeness in the center of a majestic purple background. An engraving on the back read, “Gus A. Allbritton – for Military Merit.”
Bath bought the medal and began to search to find Allbritton.
Allbritton was not too difficult to track down, the VA blog post notes. He has he’s been volunteering with the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center for 30 years and has racked up approximately 35,000 hours of volunteer time.
Bath called the facility and asked to pass a message and his phone number on to Allbritton.
Allbritton called and after answering a few questions, the gravity of what Bath told him rocked his world. Bath mail the medal to Allbritton. A few days later, he received the Purple Heart with his name inscribed on the back. The moment and days that followed were surreal.
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“I couldn’t believe that after all this time my Purple Heart is back where it belongs,” he said. “I gave the other two to my kids, one to my daughter and the other to my son.”
He continued, “I think I’ll keep this one as the good Lord gave me another opportunity to care for it.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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