MINNEAPOLIS — Cherished World War II medals taken during a burglary last year have been returned to the family of the man to whom they were awarded — a Filipino survivor of the Bataan Death March.

Nikki Neis considers it a miracle that the medals taken from her parents’ Minneapolis home are once again in the family’s possession. Her father, Roger Neis, died six years ago at age 87. Neis says the burglar didn’t just take the medals, they took a legacy that was to be shared with her four brothers and grandchildren.

The attorney of the man convicted of the burglary recently brought the medals to the prosecutor.

Roger Neis was among the estimated 60,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war forcibly marched 80 miles by the Imperial Japanese Army. Thousands died during the march.