BAKERSFIELD,CA-- A Kern County family has been re-united with a Purple Heart that belonged to a World War II fighter pilot killed in the skies over Germany. It was a reunion 70 years in the making.
The 1114th Transportation Company of the Army National Guard honored Alvin Pyeatt III. He was just 19 when he was killed in Germany in 1944.
How the medal came to be at the National Guard Armory begins with Ken Hooper, a Bakersfield High School history teacher.
"Last May I went birthday shopping for my wife and as I was going through the antique store,” Hooper said. “I found a purple heart in a box. When I asked to look at it I could see the purple heart was engraved with a mans name."
Hooper had a pretty good feeling it was from a Kern County resident but he had to be sure.
"I contacted a genealogist that we used for two previous purple hearts,” Hooper said. “He lives in Texas, loves looking up this type of genealogy and I asked him ' can you give us a hand?' he was more than helpful and said yeah. In a matter of days, we had made contact with the family in Kern County and they said they'd be more than happy to accept the purple heart."
Pyeatt's cousin, Gary Yaeck, was glad the ceremony was held in front of current soldiers
“These fellows today are doing the same thing he did,” Yaek said. “Not selfish, giving their time and possibly their life, so i'm thankful to have it back."