Joe Pittman reported his wallet missing from the Biloxi VA Community Living Center in Mississippi back in 2003.
The wallet hasn’t been seen for 17 years. Until now.
The late veteran’s wallet was discovered by workers earlier this month inside a wall during a renovation construction project, according to a VA blog post.
Resident engineer Chris LeVelle discovered that the wallet belonged to Pittman.
“Written on the back of a photo was the name Anastasia Ladner, so LeVelle searched for and found her. He discovered a local telephone number and spoke with Vicki Ladner, Anastasia Ladner’s mother and Pittman’s daughter,” the blog reads.
A VA Police Services report filed in February 2003 described a solid black wallet with a zipper containing social security and insurance cards and photos of family members. Although numerous efforts to find the wallet were conducted, the wallet remained missing.
Until 2020, when it was returned to Vicki Ladner by Vernon Stewart, Chief of Community and Public Affairs.
‘Being able to return these personal possessions to a family is quite a personal moment,” Stewart said. “Some of the photos in this wallet are irreplaceable and being able to provide this Veteran’s family with these items is at the core of what we do, taking care of Veterans and their families.”
Ladner said that Pittman tended to hide his personal belongings, possibly accounting for the wallet being placed inside a wall. Upon receipt of the wallet, she was surprised to discover a social security card belonging to her grandmother, numerous photos of relatives, and an identification card indicating her father had at one time worked for the Jackson County Sherriff’s Office in Mississippi.
“This wallet remained hidden in a wall for over seventeen years and contained some of Pittman’s cherished possessions,” Privacy Officer Melanie Lane said. “Being able to provide these items to this veteran’s family, especially during this holiday season, is a wonderful feeling. I’m honored to have been part of this veteran’s ongoing legacy.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com
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