LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- A Lakewood law firm is trying to track down the recipient of a Bronze Star medal, discovered inside a donated coat.

Attorney Brett Buchheit made the discovery as he was cleaning out the pockets of hundreds of coats that were donated to the Mintz Law Firm's Christmas Coat Drive.

"When I reached into the interior pocket of the jacket I found a cellophane bag. I pulled it out. Lo and behold we realized we had found an incredible piece of history," said Buchheit.

It was the Bronze Star, one of the highest military honors a service member can receive. It is given for acts of bravery committed on the battlefield.

"It's my understanding they award these to heroes in the theater of combat," said Buchheit. "It was not awarded here in the United States. It was awarded in the theater of combat. So, this medallion came from someplace very far away to Denver, and unfortunately, it was left in this garment. So it's important we get it back to its recipient."

"A Bronze Star is exceptional," said Allen Wilson, a local veteran, and partner in the coat drive.

Buchheit asked Wilson to help him try to track down its rightful owner. He studied the medal carefully.

"The ribbon itself is fairly new. There's no aging, none of the stiffness that the ribbon gains over time. So, this possibly was an award that was given to someone in Iraq or Afghanistan," Wilson said.

However, they've had no luck in finding to whom it belongs.

"If I'd been lucky enough to have this, losing it would be devastating. This is what I would want to hand down to my grandchildren," said Wilson.

"There was a hero who received this medallion for doing something incredibly impressive," said Buchheit. "The ability to get them this particular item back is a staggering importance in my opinion."

For now, the law firm plans to present the medal to a local VFW on Monday, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, in the hopes of getting it closer to where it belongs.

The coat in which the medal was found is described as a men's black leather jacket, donated sometime between Nov. 20 and Dec. 5.

The coats collected will be distributed to three local nonprofits that help the homeless and at-risk community.