Topeka ? Combat medals and other military items no longer will be sold at state-sponsored unclaimed property auctions, Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins said Friday.

“I could not sleep at night knowing that these medals could be lost forever just to make room in a vault,” she said. “Each medal contains a memory and a story, and I will make it a priority to see that they are preserved while we search for the property owners or their heirs.”

The state treasurer is in charge of disposing of cash and items that become unclaimed property in the state. Generally, unclaimed military medals would come from safe-deposit boxes that have lapsed in ownership.

Property that isn’t claimed is usually auctioned off every few years to make room in the treasurer’s vault.

“I was alarmed when I discovered that the state auctioned veterans’ medals to the highest bidder,” said Jenkins, a former legislator who was elected treasurer last year.

Under her new policy — which Jenkins dubbed “Operation Preserving Freedom” — military medals, ribbons, certificates, even dog tags, will not be sold at auction.

In a news release issued by Jenkins, Wayne McReynolds of Great Bend, state commander of the American Legion, praised the new policy.

“War medals are not just pieces of metal,” McReynolds said. “They are pieces of honor and bravery, and we must never forget the reasons why people received them.”

¢ Marines hair Corps birthday¢USMC Official Site

Ryan Wright, a spokesman for Jenkins, said it appeared many medals were sold at auction several years ago. He said that while Jenkins is treasurer, the items will remain in the vault until they can be returned to the owners or their heirs. If they can’t be returned, the items will stay in the vault.