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Thieves steal ashes before Arlington burial

Someone stole an urn containing the ashes of a deceased Satellite Beach, Fla., war hero a day before his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, leaving his relatives aghast.

Norbert Otto Schmidt Sr. died Aug. 4 at 83. The retired Army colonel earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts in the Korean War.

Military officials scheduled a Nov. 13 service at the cemetery. But on the afternoon of Nov. 12, someone broke into a family member's van parked at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and swiped Schmidt's bronze urn.

"It shocked us, for sure," said Donna Schmidt, Norbert's wife of 55 years. "We're just hoping that somebody comes to their senses pretty soon. An urn and ashes don't mean something to someone else, but it means a lot to our family."

Relatives went ahead with the service at the cemetery in Virginia.

U.S. Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser said there are no suspects. A laptop also was stolen from the van, and detectives are interviewing "known car-busters" for clues, Schlosser said.

"The main thing that we're interested in is recovery of the remains," he said. "We're not the slightest bit interested in making an arrest in this case. The only question our detectives are going to ask is, 'Where are the remains?' The reality is, I'm not that sure we'll ever see (the urn) again."

Schmidt graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and he was a geotechnical engineering professor. He moved to Satellite Beach in 1991.