CHARLESTON, SC (SCDVA) - On April 18 during a Claims Clinic hosted by North Charleston VA Medical Clinic, the ID badge of a deceased Vietnam Veteran was returned to his widow. North Carolina US Army Vietnam Veteran, Tommy Matthews, passed in 1998 and his funeral colors were presented to his widow at the conclusion of the service. At the time, Gwendolyn Matthews attached an ID badge from her husband’s service at Tripler Army Medical Center in the 1980’s to the flag case and placed the set in furniture that was later passed down to her daughter, who also lived in North Carolina. Unknowingly, the cased colors and furniture were donated to Goodwill. Once the colors were discovered, they were returned to Gwendolyn Matthews during the Claims Clinic at the North Charleston VA Medical Clinic. Matthews now lives in Summerville, SC.

The one-day Claims Clinic processed 25 Veteran claims and was held in coordination with the US Department of Veteran Affairs’ Veteran Benefits Administration and South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs teams headquartered in Columbia.