The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
'Amazing' community support
Vicky Arnold thankful for outreach following medallion theft
There is still no word on who might have taken a medallion fromthe grave of her son on Memorial Day, but Vicky Ar- nold said one thing she has learned since the theft was howmuch people still care.
“This thing (the story of the missing medallion) has gone all over the country,” Arnold said, tearing up. “People still do care. They are amazing.”
Her son, United States Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher whowas killed July 23, 2009 in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb, is buried in Oneida Castle Cemetery.
Last week, his family found that a silver- dollar-sized bronze- colored USMC medallion went miss- ing from his headstone.
The family wants the keepsake back.
Since the medallion went missing, two quarters have appeared on the base of Lasher’s headstone, alongwith a handful of pennies and a guitar pick. In the military world, any visitor can leave a penny, but a quarter placed on the headstone of a fallen soldier indicates the visi- tor was in the battle or in the same unit when the soldier died.
Arnold said the first quarter was left by a Marine who served with her son, and that person has told Arnold he left the quarter. The family is certain he didn’t take the medallion; however, whoever left the second quarter is unknown. Nor is it known if
t he s e cond quarter and the missing medallion are connected. Arnold said she just wants the medallion back, which was placed on Lasher’s headstone three years ago by Kyle Castle, Arnold’s son- in- law who was with Lasher when he died. There has been a public outpouring of support for Arnold’s family and the missing medallion. On Facebook, a friend of the family, Gary Johnson, put up a $ 100 reward for the return of the medallion, no questions asked, and another person has agreed to match that amount, Arnold said. The day after she found the medallion missing, she scoured area pawn shops looking for it. Arnold said she has been contacted by the Sons of the American Legion, and they have offered to pay for a new medallion to be made and affixed to the headstone. The New York State Police are currently investigating the incident.