NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion S Palm Beach CountyBoynton Beach

Actions

Mystery Army uniform shows up in Boynton Beach woman's car

Posted
and last updated

69-year-old Frances Stamm is trying to solve the biggest mystery of her life.

"Somebody who has been in the service has done a lot for our country. This is a treasure to them," she said.

The Boynton Beach woman found an old army uniform and now it's her mission to find its rightful owner.

It all started with lunch Wednesday at Porto Bella Restaurant in Boynton Beach.

"I came home to my house, woke up the next morning to go to work, put my lunch in my car... And I found this," she said, holding up an old U.S. Army uniform. "I can't imagine losing something like this. This person must be going out of their mind."

She thinks her Volkswagon Passat was accidentally unlocked.

"I was trying to help my 91-year-old godmother out of the car and I must've hit the button on my keys and it didn't lock the car," she said.

Stamm spent Thursday walking up and down the shopping center searching for the owner with no luck.

"It's breaking my heart that I can't find the owner for this," she said.

During our interview, we found more clues on the uniform.

A name on the flap of the pants, reading "H. Sanford."

A tag, with a "pattern date" on the hat: Valentine's Day 1957.

And an old wooden hangar that reads "Barney's Clothes, Inc." with a address in New York, NY.

Just looking at the uniform brings back memories of Stamm's father, a veteran.

"It means alot," she said.

NewsChannel 5 tried VFW Post 5355 in Boynton Beach, hoping to learn more about the patches and pins.

One veteran recognized the patches showing the owner to be a sergeant in the U.S. Army. He could not recognize a bright red patch with a lightning bolt across it.

"There's so many divisions in the U.S. Army," he told WPTV's Alanna Quillen.

"It would have to be a Vietnam veteran or Korean veteran," said Don Gromko, a WWII veteran.

With no leads, Stamm's daughter-in-law tried posting the uniform on Facebook.

"It's one of the benefits of having social media," said Christina Stamm. "Maybe they were  out for lunch and decided to walk back to their car and put it back in there. And had somebody put it in there for them, and just got confused."

Stamm has one last plea to find the owner.

"I would love, love, love for you to come and pick this up. And I would be honored to give this to you," she said. "I really would."

There is one more item that came with this uniform that we won't mention, so that the Stamm family can find the right person.

If this uniform is yours or you know someone who is looking for it, please contact the family on Facebook by clicking here.

You can also email WPTV reporter Alanna Quillen at alanna.quillen@wptv.com.