A bracelet honoring a fallen Iraq war soldier is on its way from D.C. to its rightful owner in Florida.
Retiree Jack Everett of the Glover Park section of Northwest D.C. found the bracelet in the grass in a nearby park last Sunday.
He put out the word on a neighborhood listserv he was looking for the owner, and spoke to News4’s Jim Rosenfield Monday about his wish to reunite the bracelet with its owner.
The black and silver metal bracelet lists the name of Army Staff Sergeant Angel Mercado-Velazquez, who died in Yusufiyah, Iraq on September 1, 2006. Staff Sgt. Velazquez was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Army records indicate he died in mortar fire in a part of Iraq known as The Triangle of Death.
After News4’s calls to locate the fallen soldier’s relatives, Jim Rosenfield received a call from Staff Sgt. Mercado’s widow, who said she lost the bracelet on a sightseeing trip to Washington at least three years ago. Her daughter told Rosenfield her mother assumed she’d never again see the remembrance of her late husband. Sheila Colon, Staff Sgt. Mercado’s widow, thanked News4 for helping to reunite her with the special piece of jewelry.
Everett, meanwhile, told News4 he felt a responsibility once he found the bracelet to wear it until the owner was found.