Colorado Holds 18 Unclaimed Military Medals
The Colorado Department of Treasury is asking veterans and families to claim decorations recovered from forgotten safety deposit boxes ahead of Veterans Day.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Military
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The Colorado Department of Treasury holds 18 military decorations, including five Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and two National Defense Service Medals, that were discovered in forgotten safety deposit boxes. The state is asking veterans and their families to check and claim the medals, service records and missing money.
Why it matters
The effort aims to reconnect service members and their heirs with personal military honors that might otherwise remain unclaimed. Colorado residents who have lost track of family records or financial assets can use state tools to search for them.
The Treasury holds 18 decorations recovered from safety deposit boxes, with five Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and two National Defense Service Medals among them. Owners or heirs for these items have not yet been identified.
The players
Colorado Department of Treasury
The state agency that holds unclaimed property and military decorations and manages the Unclaimed Property Division.
Dave Young
The Colorado State Treasurer who announced the medal holdings and the public request to claim them.
The details
The Unclaimed Property Division holds military medals and decorations indefinitely while working to notify owners or heirs. Veterans and families can search for unclaimed property through the Great Colorado Payback program.
Timeline
Monday, November 9, 2026: Colorado Treasurer Dave Young announces the medal holdings and the public request.
November 11, 2026: Veterans Day, the date the state has timed its request for veterans to claim the items.
Military Honors
The Unclaimed Property Division's indefinite holding of military decorations under Colorado's Great Colorado Payback program extends the state's routine effort to return lost property to owners. Applying it to Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars links the program to veterans' records as Veterans Day approaches.
Veterans and families can search for unclaimed property through the Great Colorado Payback to check for medals, service records and missing money. Owners or heirs of the recovered decorations can contact the Unclaimed Property Division to make a claim.
The takeaway
Veterans and families who have lost track of military honors or records can check the state's unclaimed property tools before Veterans Day. Reconnecting with these items may recover medals that carry real family history.
Further reading
Find more on military affairs coverage for veterans' records and benefits across Colorado.
Live Poll
Do you trust your state government to return unclaimed property to its rightful owners?
