Army plaque stolen from Vietnam veteran's front yard in Boston

    BOSTON (WBZ) -- A Vietnam War veteran is at a loss after someone removed an Army plaque from in front of his South Boston home.

"We don't know why someone would come and take it, but my family member is heartbroken," said Denise Sousa, who spoke with WBZ on behalf of her relative who asked to remain anonymous.

"He doesn't feel like he is a hero. He was just a person who entered Vietnam to do what he had to do for his country," Sousa said.

"After his first visit, he came home for a week and told his family he was going to California for a trip. He didn't want to tell them that he was reenlisting for a second tour because they were heartbroken, and it took toll on the family for the year that he was away."

The 30-pound plaque is made of concrete and is identical to an Army pin that he wears. It has been placed out front of his home on East 7th Street for years.

"He does feel like a piece of him was removed," said Sousa. "We feel like it would be like taking flowers off of a grave. You took this off of his monument."

The plaque sits in a flower bed that is not in a well-traveled area, which further makes the family wonder what happened.

There is a silver lining to this story. The person who gave him the plaque has one left, and recently learned of the theft.

"They called him up and let him know that they would love to give him a new plaque," said Sousa.

He plans to secure this one even more but is still upset that someone would think to take it in the first place.