During a ceremony at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Treasurer Stacy Garrity returned ten military medals and ribbons to Cathedral Dean Father Michael Varvarelis. The military honors were earned by the late Timothy Marahoris, a U.S. Army veteran who served his country in the Korean War.
After thorough research by Treasury, it was determined that Marahoris had no close living relatives to claim the military medals. Marahoris was a member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral congregation.
“This return is unique and shows how important military decorations are to someone’s story,” Treasurer Garrity said. “I’m grateful that Timothy’s memory and service are being honored in this way. Although he had no living relatives, it’s evident that the congregation of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral is indeed his family, and I’m honored to return his medals to them today.”
“Our Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral is very honored to receive the military medals on behalf of Timothy Marahoris,” said Cathedral Dean Father Michael Varvarelis. “Mr. Marahoris was a respected member of our Holy Trinity Parish community, and we feel blessed to be a part of this wonderful ceremony to honor his memory.”
Timothy Marahoris passed away in 2010 at the age of 80. His parents immigrated to the United States from Greece, and Timothy was an only child. He was never married and had no children. Treasury worked diligently to find living relatives who could claim the military decorations to no avail. However, Marahoris had strong ties to the Harrisburg area. Treasury learned about his membership at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral through a connection that led staff to contact the Greek Orthodox Metropolis in Pittsburgh.
The military decorations earned by Marahoris and returned to the church include:
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- Army Good Conduct Ribbon
- National Defense Service Medal
- National Defense Service Ribbon
- Korean Service Medal with Star Pin
- Korean Service Ribbon with Star Pin
- United Nations Korea Medal
- United Nations Korea Ribbon
- Korean War Service 50th Anniversary Medal
- Korean War Service 50th Anniversary Ribbon
Treasurer Garrity has returned 314 military decorations, including 4 Purple Hearts and 3 Bronze Stars. Altogether, Treasury has returned a total of 612 military decorations and memorabilia.
Treasury still has more than 500 military decorations, including Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars, Legion of Merit awards, campaign medals, dog tags, pins, buttons and more waiting to be reunited with the veteran that earned them or their family. There are items representing every branch of the military and nearly every major conflict.
These military items are never auctioned and will remain in Treasury’s vault until a rightful owner can be found.
Treasury maintains a dedicated military decoration database that can be searched by visiting patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property/medals.
