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Stolen New Zealand war medals have been returned to Army Museum...
By Peter Petterson of huttriver and other blogs
The 96 war medals stolen from the New Zealand Army Museum at the Waiouru camp in the central North Island last December(2007)during a burglary, have been returned and blessed by the camp padre and other church ministers, and welcomed onto the camp marae in an extremely emotional ceremony recently. Police and family members were present as the war heroes were honoured. Police from Operation Valour,the policing team responsible for the eventual recovery of the stolen medals which included nine Victoria Crosses(the equivelant of the US Medals of Honor),accompanied the medals onto the marae. The burglary and theft made international news last year, and were the subject of other stories of mine. Major General Lou Gardiner, officer in charge, greeted and thanked the police detectives for their sterling work and handed an award to them for the recovery of the medals from the Army Museum. "The men who won these medals were ordinary New Zealanders who did extraordinary things and made extreme sacrifices." the general said. The medals were the subject of a long and controversial investigation, which included the payment of cash rewards for information leading to their recovery. New Zealand's latest war hero and Victoria Cross recipient, Corporal Willie Apiata was present at the ceremony. He was awarded his VC for bravery under fire in Afghanistan in 2004, as a member of the New Zealand SAS, special forces troops. Corporal Apiata rescued a comrade under machinegun and rifle fire; he carried him to safety after their vehicle had been hit by shells and grenades. He was the first NZ soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross since WW2. The Army Museum at Waiouru is the spiritual home of New Zealand's military heritage and taonga(treasures). The theft of the medals was considered as theft from New Zealand and its people. It was the support and public outcry that helped in the return of the war medals. There is now updated security at the museum, including bullet proof glass for the displays, CCTV, and other security measures not released to the public, to prevent further attempts to steal NZ military taonga. Two men have been arrested and charged in relation to the burglary and theft of the war medals.
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Contributor's Note
A great day for New Zealand.
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NZ News
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