A veteran who was haunted by a mischievous deed of his youth finally did the right thing almost half a century later, returning a sword to its rightful owner … which happens to be a statue.
The guy’s identity is being shielded by Cindy Gaylord — the head of Westfield, MA’s historical commission … who granted him anonymity and allowed him to return it to her under what seems to be a free pass, seeing how sorry he apparently was for taking it 40 years ago.
You heard that right … a whole 40 YEARS. Apparently, this fella told Gaylord he took the bronze sword in 1980, back in his college days after a night of drinking. He and his buddies went out to the park where a statue of Revolutionary War hero Gen. William Shepard stood … and this vet proceeded to pry the weapon out of Billy’s sculpted hands with brute force.
The next morning, he told her they realized what they’d done … and ended up keeping the damn thing to avoid punishment. The sword was replaced by a local craftsman and funded by a private donor. Now, it looks like Gen. Shepard has two swords at his disposal.
Not really, though … the original is said to be headed to a museum somewhere, where it’ll be preserved and probably put on display. As for the vet who did this … Gaylord says he felt a great deal of shame and remorse and says he felt bad taking another soldier’s weaponry.
At ease, Private …