Staff Writer
Most people find loose change and an occasional piece of jewelry while cleaning their cars. However, one student from the Loring Job Corps Center, working on a Humvee at the Maine Military Authority, found a silver ring that belonged to a paratrooper who had spent four combat tours in Iraq.
Contributed photo
Loring Job Corps Center student Andy Lester, center, shows a gift card he received from LJCC officials after turning in an Army paratrooper’s ring he found last month while working on a Humvee at the Maine Military Authority. Shown from left is Dr. Dottie Martin, LJCC director of learning and Mark Bouchard, MMA director of quality.
Andy Lester, an automotive student from Warren, N.H. found the silver paratrooper’s ring.
The ring, which had been missing for six years, belonged to a second generation Army Paratrooper, Sgt. Brandon Culpepper, who is stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.
“As a paratrooper, I have a rich heritage to uphold and I’m proud to jump, wear and keep the wings that paratroopers have worn before me,” said Culpepper in an e-mail message to the Aroostook Republican.
When he found the ring, Lester said he wondered what it was doing in the military vehicle. He turned it to the MMA Superintendent Dave Campbell, who gave it to Mark Bouchard, director of quality at MMA.
Going up the command chain, Bouchard notified the Tank Automotive and Armaments Command in Michigan, under which the MMA receives its repair assignments. Bouchard believed that the installation would have more success in the search for the ring’s owner.
The logistics management specialist at the Michigan base, Fred Burdine was able to determine that the ring’s maker was American Eagle, which was able to track down the initials of B.A.C. inside the ring and a four-digit number. Using this information and the last location of the Humvees in which it was found, Burdine tracked down Culpepper.
The ring was boxed and shipped to Culpepper in Colorado.
For his efforts, Dr. Dottie Martin, director of learning at LJCC, presented Lester with a $25 gift card.
“All I can really say it’s a great thing that (the ring) was found and that owner was found,” said Lester. “It was one of the best things ever.”
Lester said that he chose to turn it in, knowing that there could be negative consequences if he had kept the ring.
“The instructors were incredibly proud that I had turned in such a great find,” said Lester. “I’d rather keep my education over anything.”
Culpepper has been in the Army for seven years and completed four tours in Iraq. Originally from Albuquerque, he graduated from parachute school in 2002. Currently he is a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense specialist, with the primary job to provide decontamination and reconnaissance support.
“Not every paratrooper has a ring, but mine means a lot of me,” Culpepper said in his e-mail. “The price of the ring isn’t what was important, losing it really bothered me. The return meant a lot to me.”
The ring’s manufacturer, American Eagle, told MMA officials that it will honor the warranty on the ring and will service the piece if necessary, according to Bouchard.
