Please Help Find Stolen Vietnam Memorabilia

My Uncle Fred started a local salvage yard several years ago. His son, my cousin Tom, was a partner in the business and took over the yard when my uncle retired. Both my uncle and aunt passed away several years ago so Tom kept the business going. Tom stored some of his prized possessions and treasures at the salvage yard. They were stored in a foot locker on the 2nd floor of the office building.

The other night, thieves broke in and took lots of tools and etc… but Tom doesn’t care about that. It was the foot locker filled with his medals, certificates, citations, insignias, personal letters from home, and cassette tapes from his parents during his time in Vietnam. These items are irreplacable and only have great value to Tom.

He had always been a tough guy in his day and he did 2 tours in Vietnam as a US Marine but this situation has devastated him. He was in tears when he found these treasures gone. His heart is so big that you can ask him for help and it would be unusual for him to say no.

I am hoping that someone who reads this may have information to aid in the recovery of Tom's things. If you have any information, Click Here To Contact Us By Email. We would be very happy to help get Tom's things back to him.

** There will be no questions asked and Tom is offering a reward for the return of his belongings. **

Anyway, here is a news video of what happened to Tom.


Other things that are missing:

• Binoculars


• Many tools


• Small toolbox


• Sockets


• Ratchets


• Clamps


• Vice grips


• Kodak Easyshare C190 digital camera


• Remington 30-06


• Flash drive


• Redwood Wireless USB modem


• Sirius satellite receivers

If Tom gets nothing else back, I pray that he gets his foot locker with the contents it had in it when it was taken.

Update:

It sounds like Tom is pretty much on his own in finding his stuff. Here is an article from today's newspaper about it:

Theft of war medals pains vet

About Landstrom's® Original Black Hills Gold Creations

1874 South Dakota Gold Rush
Horatio N. Ross, a scout for General George Armstrong Custer, discovered gold along French Creek in the central Black Hills.

1876
Inspiration for the Black Hills Gold grape and leaf designs in three colors of gold is credited to a prospector/goldsmith named Henri LeBeau. These designs probably began in the mining towns of California during its Gold Rush days in 1849 and worked their way through the mining camps in Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Colorado. Henri LeBeau brought these designs from Montana to South Dakota in 1876, when he opened up a shop in Central City.

Central City and Deadwood grew out of the Wild West era of prospectors, saloons and legendary figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

1878
Henri LeBeau trains S.T. Butler, who starts a jewelry manufacturing store and produced Black Hills Gold jewelry with his son, George M. Butler in Deadwood.

1900's
Clarence Thorpe, nephew of George - grandson to S.T. Butler, takes over business.

1919
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1944
Ivan Landstrom buys Black Hills Jewelry Manufacturing Company from Lampinen and moves to Rapid City. Lampinen stays on staff to train employees in the traditional methods of creating Black Hills Gold Jewelry.

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Black Hills Gold jewelry features grape leaves, clusters and vines in tri-colored gold. By Federal mandate, this style of jewelry must be manufactured in the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to be described as "Black Hills Gold Jewelry".

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Landstrom's bought the F.L. Thorpe Company of Deadwood making Landstrom's the sole owner of all the original Black Hills Gold designs.

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Landstrom's passes on to Constance Landstrom Drew's daughter and son. Landstrom's continues to be dedicated to handcraftsmanship and to maintaining the highest standards in the Black Hills Gold industry.