A daughter, who never knew the story of her heroic father's life, will receive eight medals for bravery awarded to him today after they were discovered by accident in the laundry room of an apartment block.

Hyla Merin, of Westlake Village, California, will receive a series of honors awarded to her father 2nd Lt Hyman Markel for his bravery in World War II.

The medals, including a Purple Heart and a distinguished Silver Star - awarded for gallantry, have begun her long road to discovering the story of her father, a heroic Rabbi's son who died protecting others against German troops just five months before she was born.

Merin's mother, Celia Markel, was given most of the medals but for some reason never received the Silver Star.

The young widow was clearly traumatized by losing her first love and rarely spoke to her daughter about him.

In the 1960s she moved into a West Hollywood apartment where she stored a box of precious mementos of her late husband - including the medals - in a laundry room looker.

They remained there forgotten about until September last year when the manager of the building stumbled upon them and contacted the veteran's charity.

To read the complete article, see:Daughter to be given Purple Heart her father was awarded after he was killed in heroic charge on Nazis before she was even born after his medals are found in laundry room(www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280030/A-California-woman-heroic
-father-killed-WWII-finally-receive-medals-awarded-bravery-discovered-laundry-room.html)