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Navy vet's belongings stolen during move to Decatur

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A veteran moving to Decatur had all of his belongings stolen from a locked U-Haul truck.

Navy veteran Stephen Boland just transferred from Sacramento to the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur.

“I’m honored to be a veteran and I’m grateful to be able to work with veterans,” Boland said.

His move hit a snag during a stop for dinner in San Antonio last week. Police said thieves drove off in his U-Haul, stealing nearly everything he and his daughter own.

“Insurance isn’t covering a lot of things, so we’re kind of unlucky on that end,” Boland said.

San Antonio police recovered the 20-foot moving truck, but everything was gone. Boland is now in an empty apartment with no clothes, furniture or even a pot to cook with, but he said that is not what hurts the most.

“The photographs, gifts from parents, things handed down in the family,” Boland said.

The thieves also stole his daughter, Rachel’s, newly acquired college diploma and belongings from her childhood.

“I was thinking, obviously they might need it more than I do,” Rachel Boland said.

Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe.com page, where nearly 100 people who heard their story have donated to help them start over.

“It actually has helped a lot to process this. In that moment, you feel so unsafe and alone,” Rachel Boland said.