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Finding a way back home

Long missing Purple Heart earned by soldier in WW II returned to family

By J.D. CREER 8 min read

Nicholas Wargo was a natural born fighter. He grew up in a family of boxers around his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pa. -- located just outside of Pittsburgh near the Ohio River.

Rising through the amateur ranks and attaining national acclaim, the scrappy Wargo earned 10 boxing titles ranging from featherweight to welterweight including esteemed Golden Gloves championships. He boasted a winning streak of 47 bouts and had realistic dreams of boxing in the Olympics. Then came World War II and a different kind of fight.

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Most folks in our parts know of the Rogers Flea Market. There you can find anything from seasonal fruit to knock off designer clothing and bling. Often in booths right next to each other. Nate Railing of Lisbon is retired. A hobby he enjoys is picking and poking around the Rogers Market where surprises are aplenty.

"You don't know what you want until you get there," he quipped. Recently, there was a moment that astounded him. Lying in a vendor's tote was a tattered box for a Purple Heart.

Curious, Nate opened it. To his surprise the medal -- presented to service members killed or wounded as a result of enemy action while serving our country -- was inside.

"Most medals of this magnitude are engraved with the service member's name on the back," he said. "I turned it over and sure enough there was a name on it. The name read Nicholas P. Wargo."

Nate, 36, is a veteran who served 10 years in the U.S. Army as a Human Resources NCO. But his time in the military was cut short due to injuries and medical reasons. Still his passion to serve never waned. When he found the medal, that passion took off like a soldier on a 20-mile march.

"I enjoy any opportunity to aid a veteran," he said. An opportunity borne from a particular Friday morning visit to the Rogers Market became a full-scale mission.

"I knew there was a family out there that this medal belonged to," he said. "It had a loving home somewhere and I was going to find it.

"The vendor suggested that purchasing it for $20 would be a good deal as engraved Purple Hearts can be valuable. I explained that it is not for personal gain -- that I wanted to find the family. At that he sold it for $10. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't believe it is even legal to sell them. Regardless, I wanted it back into rightful ownership."

Think about it. A Purple Heart and all that it represents being sold for 20, no, make that 10 lousy bucks. Imagine, too, all of the military medals out there lost in attics or, worse, for sale online or at other flea markets.

Inspired, Nate turned detective and social media became his magnifying glass for discovering clues. He had at least a puncher's chance thanks to the internet.

"My search began with a few photos and posting on social media to some of my military alumni organizations, local community pages, and friends/family," he recounted. "At the same time I began to do research to find as much information on Nicholas as possible to help track down the family."

What he found out was that Pfc. Nicholas P. Wargo died serving his country in the U.S. Army -- one of nearly 300,000 WWII American combat deaths. Fighting with Co. L. 320th Infantry of the Third Division, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Metro Wargo and sibling to four brothers and three sisters died on Nov. 10, 1944 from wounds suffered during a battle at Lorraine, France. Nick was just a few months into his 21st birthday. He rests at St. Mark's Cemetery in McKees Rocks.

"I learned of his heroism during his tour during WWII and that he paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country during this tour," Nate said. "An old newspaper article stated that he was a boxer and had been raised in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Out of curiosity I sent a message to the Mayor of McKees Rocks who agreed to help locate any surviving family.

"Over the next two days the story went nationwide. My inbox became flooded with claims to the medal and tips to possible relations. All of which had to be sorted through to determine their validity as many were wanting the medal for their collections or to sell. I was told by many that recovering a medal successfully to a family after the many years that had passed is almost impossible."

Not this time.

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Michele Motavali hails from McKees Rocks, and was destined to serve our country in her own way. Michele became a registered nurse, working the past 14 years at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.

"I have always had a great deal of respect for the military," she said. "There are different ways to serve. (VA nursing) is a good way to serve."

During her childhood, she heard stories of her Uncle Nick and his bravery.

"All of the cousins kept Nick's story alive all these years," she said.

It was learned that the Purple Heart likely was among items stolen from a family home years ago.

"The home was in a poor section of town," Michele said. "We knew that Uncle Nick had a Purple Heart and all sorts of athletic medals. When the last aunt died, the house was locked out. At some point we believe someone stole items and memorabilia."

Stolen, maybe lost, it went missing. Where was the Purple Heart all these years? Riding a journey through time and ultimately landing at a flea market vendor's stand in Columbiana County?

Nobody knows for sure. But Michele and her cousins are oh so grateful for Nate Railing, a stranger-turned-friend who is a hero in his very own way.

"I had received information of a surviving niece and nephew," he said regarding his online search. "A few hours later another niece. One of whom named Michele, is a nurse at the Cleveland VA Hospital. After verifying their claims to be accurate, I was astonished to find out that the medal had been in possession of their aunt. After her passing the medal was lost during the sorting of her estate and sales. No one knew what had happened to it."

"Nate has been absolutely fabulous," Michelle said. "He coordinated everything through family."

"I was ecstatic to know that I had found the family and that this cherished piece of history was going to be back to its rightful place," Nate said. "After several days of communicating and planning it was decided that I would hand-deliver the medal and a small re-dedication would be done with local family and then it would be given to the eldest child of the eldest sibling of Nicholas as his parents and siblings had passed on.

"I learned that the family member charged with its continued care was named George. A retired F-15 pilot, living in Virginia, who had served our country for almost 50 years. I couldn't be more honored than to present this medal back into such a deserving military history-rich family."

A family cousin who served over 55 years and retired as an Air Force Colonel, George Wargo is out of the country. The plan is to present the long-missing medal to him on August 7 which is nationwide Purple Heart Day.

Yesterday, Nate, Michele, other family members and those wanting to pay respects joined at the Lisbon Gazebo. Thus making this Memorial Day very special for so many people. A medal that Pfc. Nicholas P. Wargo earned not in a boxing ring but on a bloodied battlefield in Europe nearly eight long decades ago has finally returned to its rightful home.

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About the Purple Heart:

-- On Aug. 7, 1782, George Washington created the award (originally called the Badge of Military Merit) to give to Soldiers for any commendable action. It was only awarded to a few Soldiers during that time and forgotten about until it was reinstated on Washington's 200th birthday, Feb. 22, 1932.

-- Purple Heart Day was established in 2014 to honor and recognize those who have been awarded the decoration.

-- The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration still presented to service members.

-- The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor estimates that 1.8 million Purple Hearts have been issued since it was re-established in 1932.

-- It is believed that the award is purple because the color represents courage and bravery.

(Source Home for our Troops, hfotusa.org)

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