Purple Hearts Reunited and the Military Order of the Purple Heart (Commander Pat Little) presented a Purple Heart medal to the sister of WWII veteran PFC Charles F. Tuck on 14 March 2015. Mrs. Jean Scott of Mesquite, TX received a replacement Purple Heart to commemorate her deceased brother, as the original had been stolen in 2012. Someone broke into Mrs. Scott’s home and stole two of her safe’s with all of her valuables. As much as she would miss her jewelry, she was heartbroken over the fact that her brother’s Purple Heart was gone as well. Her fondest memories of her brother were the mile-long walks to school and how Charles was always there to protect her. The original medal is out there somewhere and we pray it will turn up. In the meantime, we secured a replacement with the hopes it would bring a little comfort. It was a honor to meet her and it was a honor to have Mr. Pat Little, the Commander of The Military Order of the Purple Heart present the medal. Semper Fi Marine, Airborne!
PFC Charles F. Tuck served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II with the 27th Regiment, 5th Division. Tuck’s regiment saw their first action during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Overall, during the course of the battle, 566 U.S. Marines were killed and 1,706 wounded. Four Marines received the Medal of Honor, including SGT Joseph Julian from Sturbridge, MA, from Tuck’s unit. PFC Tuck’s battalion was under attack northeast of Hill 362B on 9 March 1945. Japanese troops had heavy weapon, and attacked with machine gun fire and mortar rounds, killing eight Marines, including PFC Tuck, and wounding 14 others. PFC Tuck’s commendations (awarded posthumously) include the Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon.
Tuck’s Purple Heart medal was with his sister, Jean Scott of Mesquite, TX. Unfortunately, on 9 October 2012, Scott’s home was burglarized and two safes were stolen. Included in the list of stolen items was PFC Tuck’s Purple Heart, in its original box. Recently, Scott reached out to Purple Hearts Reunited for help replacing the cherished medal. Purple Hearts Reunited founder Zachariah Fike arranged to coordinate a ceremony while he was in the Dallas region for the MOPH’s National Leadership meeting.
