Stolen medals returned to family of soldier who died in Afghanistan

Military medals stolen from a Kailua home last week have been returned to the family of a Hawaii Army National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Drew Scobie’s medals were returned Tuesday with the help of an intermediary, who wishes to remain anonymous, the National Guard said in a release.

The medals belonged to Karen Tao, Scobie’s mother, and were taken during a burglary of her Kailua home Oct. 15.

"The Scobie family says that all the medals that were presented to Scobie’s mother at his memorial service have been returned undamaged. The certificates that accompany the medals were also returned, although some sustained water damage. A computer, camera and jewelry taken during the burglary have not been recovered," the release said.

The Guard said the family "wants to express their thanks to the community for the aloha and support they have received during this trying time."

The burglar or burglars also stole an Acer computer that contained photos of Scobie before he deployed to Afghanistan, and a Nikon digital camera that contained photos of Scobie’s funeral service and the birth of his daughter, who is named after him.

Tao told the media Oct. 16 that the medals "are very special to us" in asking for their return.

She added, "Those are memories that we have of him because he lost his life earning them."

McKenna Panui-Scobie, Scobie’s wife, said a "friend of a friend" put up a $1,000 reward for the return of everything. Because only some of the items were returned, $500 was paid, she said.

"I think for me the hardest thing was to see how hurt my mother-in-law was," Panui-Scobie said. "I think that was the hardest thing because that was something that she got for all his accomplishments, and it was really, really hard for her."

Panui-Scobie was pregnant with their daughter when Sgt. Scobie was killed. The girl is now 3 months old. They also have a son.

Scobie, 25, died along with a Wyoming soldier and a civilian in the crash of a twin-engine turboprop reconnaissance aircraft flying a night mission in Afghanistan on Jan. 10.

He was an aerial sensor observer technician on the Medium Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System aircraft, which is based on a King Air 300.

In Hawaii, Scobie was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery, in Wahiawa, as a fire direction operator.