Purple Heart stolen from father of soldier killed in Iraq, report says

(CBS) NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - The father of a young marine killed in Iraq says he's heartbroken after someone stole a Purple Heart medal and special coin from his New Bedford, Mass. home, CBS Boston reports.

"I just can't understand why they would steal them," Joseph Ford told the station.

The government gave Ford the medal seven years ago, after notifying him that his son, 19-year-old Michael Ford, was killed as he drove a tank over a bomb, CBS Boston reports.

Just over a week ago, a neighbor of Ford reportedly saw a strange man lurking around the home, which was temporarily vacant because of a broken pipe.

"I saw him checking out the back window, so I asked him what he was doing there," neighbor Manny Cardoza told the station. "I ended up calling the cops. They came by about five, 10 minutes later. They searched the house, but didn't find anything broken into."

But, according to the station, the thief apparently returned sometime before last Tuesday and ransacked the home.

Ford says he is missing a valuable stamp collection, metal pipes, wires, the Purple Heart medal, and a Purple Heart coin.

Police say the medal has no street value, the station reports.

When asked to make a list of the stolen items and what each was worth, next to the Purple Heart medal Ford wrote, "Priceless."

He reportedly hopes someone will have a conscience and return the one small thing he says gives him comfort in the midst of great loss.