A sailor’s World War II medals were left behind in an old dresser donated to Goodwill, sparking a mystery over who earned them.
The dresser’s new owners are now gathering clues in hopes of discovering the sailor’s identity, Fox 59 Indianapolis reports.
“He loved his country because he served,” Susan Terry told the station. “I don’t know to what extent he served his country, whether he lived or died. I don’t know what his story is, but I sure hope to find out.”

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Photo found among items inside a dresser purchased at an Indiana Goodwill. (Fox 59 Indianapolis)
Her husband brought the dresser home this week.
“It’s just, you know, plain Jane, just a little nightstand,” Clay Terry told the station.
She found the medals in a plastic bag in the bottom drawer. They were issued by the Navy to mark service in designated World War II campaigns.
The dresser held other items that could hold sentimental value, including an old Social Security card suggesting that the sailor’s name may be Paul John Modica.
The discovery hit home for Susan Terry.
“I was thinking about my dad because he was in the Navy for 22 years and our son’s a Marine,” she told the station.