The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 36, August 21, 2005, Article 21

MEDAL THEFTS IN FLORIDA

On August 17 the Associated Press ran an article about the
theft of medals from the National Museum of Naval Aviation
in Pensacola, Florida:

"A former employee was convicted Monday of stealing medals,
citations and a Mercury astronaut's boot from the National
Museum of Naval Aviation and selling them on the Internet."

"The former Navy corpsman denied the two medals belonged
to the museum, claiming they were part of a personal collection
she began as a child. One is a Purple Heart and the other a
rare Navy Cross issued only during the early 1940s and known
as the ''Black Widow'' because a manufacturing error gave it
a dark finish."

"The two medals, citations and boot were sold at auction in
2002 and 2003 on eBay. Authorities said they also found
other museum items, including books, manuals, photographs
and posters, at her home in nearby Pace.

Shaw, who cleaned and preserved artifacts at the museum
from 1991 until she resigned in March 2003, said she had
borrowed, not stolen, the cache."

To read the full article, see: Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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