Soldiers help replace vet’s stolen medals - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Soldiers help replace vet’s stolen medals

DECATUR, Ala. — With tears forming in his eyes, disabled war veteran Scott Sharbutt said he was thankful and proud after a medal repatriation ceremony Thursday at Decatur City Hall.

The ceremony, arranged by members of Redstone Arsenal’s 2nd Medical Recruiting Battalion, replaced the Gulf War veteran’s service medals, which were stolen from his Decatur home in a burglary this month.

“I’m about to cry,” Sharbutt said after the ceremony. “I didn’t think the response was going to be this great.”

Army civilian employee Stephen Hogan, who organized the ceremony, said he and other veterans in his battalion were touched when they read Sharbutt’s story last week.

“Being a prior veteran, it caught my eye, and I saw these medals that I actually have, too, and the first thing I thought was ‘How can I assist this veteran?’ ” Hogan said. “Because once a veteran, always a veteran. It’s a brotherhood that you’re always helping and assisting as much as you can.”

He called in favors from military friends to arrange replacement medals for Sharbutt.

He also collected donations from the battalion to purchase a presentation box and arranged for his commanding officer, Col. Jose Garcia, to present the medals.

Garcia returned early from vacation to preside over the ceremony. He said he hoped the replacement medals restore some of the identity that was stolen from the former soldier.

“It’s not just the awards themselves. It’s the fact that it takes something away from him,” Garcia said. “I think this is the least we can do right now.”

During the ceremony, Garcia said he spoke for everyone in the military when he said he was proud of Sharbutt’s military service and continued life as a constructive U.S. citizen.

Those attending included Sharbutt’s mother, Charla Price, and his son, Seth Sharbutt, soon to leave for college. They also included Mayor Don Stanford, who called the theft “a tragedy” that Decatur police would continue investigating.

A former tank mechanic, Sharbutt served with the 1st Cavalry Division during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The division crossed into Iraq weeks ahead of the main ground offensive, conducting reconnaissance, clearing mines and crushing an Iraqi regiment.

But Sharbutt was exposed to chemical weapons from a munitions-demolition site during the deployment. He now struggles daily with a host of medical problems related to the exposure and suffers the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

At 43, he sometimes uses a walker to get around and has had fluid drained from his knee more than 70 times. He is still seeking permanent status as a disabled veteran.

Sharbutt displayed his service medals proudly at his home, calling them his “most prized possessions.”

He said he has no idea why anyone would steal the medals since they have little monetary value and are engraved with his name.

The stolen medals include the Army Commendation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. They also include the Kuwait Liberation Medal, presented to Sharbutt by King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, ruler of Saudi Arabia during the war.

Members of the 2nd Medical Recruiting Battalion at Redstone Arsenal arranged Thursday’s repatriation ceremony. The battalion recruits health-care professionals into the military, providing scholarships or student-loan reimbursement in return for service in the Army.