Purple Heart Found After Storm Published Sept. 15, 2011 By 2nd Lt. Jonathan Russell 117 ARW/PA 117th AIR REFUELING WING, Birmingham, Ala. -- A Purple Heart was found in the storm debris two weeks after the April 2011 tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Purple Heart is believed to have been awarded to Pfc. Amos H. McDonald, an Army Soldier who was killed in action shortly after the Normandy invasion in 1944. Volunteers found the medal in the storm debris and turned it in to Master Gunnery Sgt. Paul Kicker, who was volunteering off-duty. Kicker, a Tuscaloosa native stationed in Fla, gave the medal to Maj. Gen. Paul D. Brown, Commander of the Alabama Air National Guard, who was also volunteering off-duty. Brown shared the story with members of the 117th Air Refueling Wing, which led to a local press release. Lori Sullivan, a local amateur genealogist, saw a Fox 6 news release on Facebook and began searching. She identified the next of kin and contacted the 117th Air Refueling Wing on Wednesday. We are looking forward to reuniting the Purple Heart with the family. We would like to thank all of the volunteers who have been involved with this endeavor. 30