Old Soldier's Urn Stolen Before Ceremony

ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) -- A family comes to Washington to bury a decorated war hero at Arlington National Cemetery, but then the unthinkable happened. There was no burial for Colonel Norbert Otto Schmidt today because someone stole the urn holding his remains.

"It turned out to be a nice ceremony, but I can't believe we've come this far and still don't have my dad," said Carol Schmidt, the Colonel's daughter.

On Thursday, after the family met with officials at Arlington, they decided they had some time to see the National Museum of the American Indian. They parked their van in the 300 block of Jefferson Avenue, SW. They came out an hour later, and the van's door lock had been broken, and several items inside, including a bag with the urn, were gone.

Carol says whoever broke into their van, was probably after a lap top computer, when they grabbed her mother's carry-on bag, containing the urn.

"Nobody wanted to steal the urn. We're just hoping somebody realizes they have the urn, and that they turn it into to somebody," said Carol.

Arlington National Cemetery Historian Tom Sherlock says he thinks it's the first time this has happened here.

"We feel terrible for them," said Sherlock. "It's really kind of beyond belief. We just hope that what we're doing here today helps them feel better."

The cemetery held a ceremony using a memorial marker instead. If the urn is found, and if the family would like, they will hold another service to bury him properly.