Man found medals discarded in trash—then helped a family discover their father was a WWII hero

The family had no idea about their father's past because he didn't share many things with them.

PUBLISHED 7 HOURS AGO

(L) A dumpster filled with garbage bags. (R) An old woman reading a letter. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Jada Photo; Westend61

Some memorabilia and photos can help people learn about an important part of their family's history. However, a World War II hero's medals and photos were found discarded in a trash can and the family had little to no idea about their father's past because he shared barely anything with them. But when a man found those medals in the trash, he was determined to find out the family and share their hero father's past with them, per Queen City News.

US Military medals kept in a row. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Michael Burrell

A Hickory man, Jeff Truitt, found out that the family didn't know any of their father's stories. "They had no idea what their father did in the military. They’ve never seen pictures, never seen any of this. And they’re all in their 70s and 80s," the man shared. All of it started when someone discovered the medals in a dumpster. One of Truitt's friends had found the bag and it had the World War veteran's birth certificate, military records, pictures and more. The friend asked Truitt for help in tracking down the family, as he is a Navy Veteran and commander of a local American Legion. The bag belonged to Donald Helfer, who served in the Navy during World War II. He flew in the enemy territory 28 times and won medals for his bravery.

A World War II veteran saluting while looking at the camera. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Johnrob

Truitt looked up the man online and found that he was from the Rochester, NY area. "How this got into a dumpster in the Hickory area, nobody knows," he pointed out. The man served as a policeman in upstate New York and moved to Florida after his divorce. The man found the veteran's kids in Rochester, NY and another one in North Wilkesboro, NC. He had decided to hand-deliver the documents to the man's family. "This could have just been left in the trash, but maybe this family can now have some closure and learn some things about what their father did. He was a hero," the navy veteran expressed.

An old woman reading a letter while sitting at a table. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Westend61

The family finally received the documents and had no idea about their dad's achievements. "He just wouldn’t talk about his service at all," Linda Delorey revealed to Fox 8. The daughter, Delorey, drove from her home in North Wilkesboro for an hour to meet the man who knew all about her dad. "This is really a family treasure," she said about the documents and medals. "It is just amazing to have this." Truitt added, "I’ve learned that you never know what a person has done in their life." Helfer died in 1993 and kept all of his military work a secret. The woman explained that she only knew that her dad was a police officer who always helped others.

via GIPHY

"It’s such a treasure for our family. It really is," Delorey went on. "We’re more than happy. And we’re glad we could find who it belonged to," Truitt continued. The daughter could also recognize her father in a group photo from the binder. "I think it’s the one who’s not wearing his hat right. He was a character. This is filling in so many gaps." The woman also got a chance to know other family members through the documents. She saw a photo of her grandfather and it was the first time she had ever seen him in her lifetime. She now wanted to share the photos with her other family members in upstate New York.