An unknown soldier honored for his service in Afghanistan is without his medals, and that’s where the mystery begins.

Bernard Dash of Orangeburg purchased a commemorative box containing two medals from a vendor at the Orangeburg Flea Market for $1 on Saturday. He wasn’t expecting what he found inside.

“I was really out there looking for work,” Dash said. “It was something that caught my eye. When I glanced at them I picked them up to take a closer look. I saw the Afghanistan medal and I realized it was awarded relatively recently.

“I felt they were in the wrong place. When I saw the medals, I purchased them to get (The Times and Democrat) to find the rightful owner or his family.”

Tom Anderson of Statesboro, Ga has been coming to the Orangeburg Flea Market to sell his wares for about two years. He says he purchased the medals and other items through a Pembroke, Ga. auction.

“It’s usually military people that want these medals,” Anderson said. “I got them roughly four months ago through Liberty Auction. They were part of a lot of storage items being sold from defaulted warehouse units.”

Along with her husband, Matt, Lori Mattingly operates Liberty Auction. She says finding the original owner of the medals is literally like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“We have 40,000 square feet of storage space and we hold an auction every Thursday,” Mattingly said. “I couldn’t even tell you about things we auctioned from last week, let alone four months ago.

“We sell medals like that all the time and it’s not always out of defaulted storage units. We will go and pick stuff up from family members of recently deceased elderly, kind of like an estate sale. What’s surprising is that sometimes they just don’t want this personal stuff and are just looking to get rid of it.”

Mattingly noted her business receives the items it auctions from an average of up to 125 miles away.

Dash says the recent burial of 20-year-old Sgt. Demetrius Lamont Void of Orangeburg was still fresh in his mind.

“I thought about the young man. I realized his sacrifice,” Dash said. “Whoever had (these medals) and made it back home again, that was a reward in itself. Those medals were given for his courage and they should be held closely.

“A friend who was in the military during the Korean War told me those medals should have never shown up at the flea market. Whoever those belonged to must have done something heroic.”

S.C. National Guard spokesman Col. Pete Brooks says the Afghanistan Campaign Medal is awarded for a certain number of days of service in that country. Instituted in 2004, the Campaign Medal represents active duty service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Army Commendation Ribbon, which was instituted in 1945 and made retroactive to 1941, is awarded for heroism and meritorious achievement or service.

Dash said he doesn’t want any money for the medals.

“The medals don’t serve me any purpose,” Dash said. “I just hope the rightful owner will claim them or they will be turned over to the right sources so they can be returned.”

If you think you might be the rightful owner of the medals, call Dash at 803-535-4703.

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.