Brian Shimon, a military veteran and the principal of Catholic Central High School in Burlington, greets members of the military during the school’s Veterans Day assembly Monday, Nov. 11. (Photo by Greta Taxis)
A U.S. Army Veteran was recently reunited with his Vietnam War military medals, papers and commendations, thanks to social media and a dedicated woman who knew how important these medals would be to the retired sergeant.
Catholic Central High School in Burlington honored him and his service to our country during its Veterans Day assembly Nov. 11 in the school’s theatre.
Thomas Crawford had an abundance of memories as he reflected on serving the United States in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Unit.
“I am honored to be with you,” said Crawford, 78, during a Google Meet Connection. “I want to give a shout-out to my 173rd Airborne Brigade. It’s my unit; Airborne all the way.”
Fresh out of high school, Crawford served in the U.S. Army from 1967-69. During his tour, he climbed “Hamburger Hill” or Hill 875 in the Battle of Dak To, as part of an Airborne Division mission. The battle was intense and the fourth deadliest of the Vietnam War. He received two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars with Vs for valor and two Air Medals for that mission.
After returning home, he packed up his things and put the memories of the war behind him, the best he knew how, and didn’t think much about them.
Since Crawford was unable to be physically present for the CCHS Veterans Day celebration, his sister Debbie O’Connell, from Racine, came and gave a talk on how he was reunited with his medals.
A few months ago, O’Connell received an unusual phone call at work from a woman named Jessica Lacefield. The Dalhart, Texas, woman informed her that the conversation would be “weird.”
“Jessica asked if I had a brother named Tom and followed with a series of other questions about him,” O’Connell said. “I was a bit suspicious and concerned this might be a phishing scam of some sort, so I asked Jessica how she managed to identify me as Tom’s sister.”
Lacefield explained that she saw a Veterans Day celebration photo from November 2023 on the Catholic Central High School’s Facebook page. One of several photos submitted was of O’Connell’s brother, Tom.
“My late husband was a former theology teacher here,” O’Connell said. “My name was listed on the photos as Tom’s sister. Jessica was unable to find Tom, but she found me on my employer’s website.”
Lacefield went on to tell O’Connell that 10 years ago, her boss found a moving box along the side of a road in Tucumcari, New Mexico. He was unable to locate the owner of the box, so he placed it on a back-room shelf in his appliance store.
“Jessica came across the box this summer. It contained Tom’s honorable discharge and other military papers, his medals, commendations and other service memorabilia,” said O’Connell. “She was now on a mission to find this soldier and engaged some of her family members who are former detectives in the search. She knew in her heart that Tom or his surviving family would want these valued keepsakes.”
Intrigued, O’Connell connected Lacefield and her brother, and within a few days, Crawford received a box containing his missing military memorabilia at his home in Iowa.
With tears in his eyes, Crawford thanked his sister for speaking on his behalf at the assembly.
“I’d also like to thank Jessica from Texas, who went through a lot of heartache and effort to send my medals back to my house. She is a wonderful, wonderful lady, and I thank her so much,” he said.
Interestingly, Crawford had never traveled to New Mexico, so he is not quite sure how his items ended up there.
“Tom had previously gifted some of his medals to a dying young boy named Roger, who was quite enamored with the Airborne Division,” said O’Connell. “Tom said this young man probably knew more about the paratroopers than he did. We suspect the box fell off a truck when his family moved out west after his passing.”
O’Connell reminded students that war is real, as are our servicemen and women.
“The pain and sacrifices they — and their families — make are real. And sadly, some make the ultimate sacrifice. To quote Col. Walter Hitchcock, ‘Freedom is not free, it comes with a price,’” she said. “I hope you’ll continue to celebrate, support and pray for the men and women of our military. They make possible the safety and freedoms we enjoy every day. So, when you see our vets, be sure to thank them for their service. Being part of a proud blue star family with four currently serving men and women in uniform and several veterans, I can promise you that your efforts do make a difference — sometimes in ways none of us could ever envision.”
In addition to O’Connell’s talk, CCHS Principal Brian Shimon, who is a U.S. Army veteran, recognized veterans present at the assembly, as well as those pictured on the walls in the school hallway.
“This is an important day; many of us, as you can see in the hallway at Catholic Central, have relatives that have or are currently serving in the U.S. military. This is a powerful display,” Shimon said.
The celebration included patriotic music, members of Boy Scout Troop 334, and a military honors ceremony with the American Legion post 79, VFW post 2823, DAV and the Marine Corps League from the Burlington area, complete with a 21-gun salute. Shimon followed the ceremony by playing Taps.
