Wilfred A. Roberge had a piece of his life ripped away from him a few weeks ago. It was as if a part of his very soul was amputated. Nothing that he faced as a solider in Iraq ever wounded him as greatly as what happened when he returned home to Wareham.
    For 10 months this young man served with the 719th Movement Control Battalion. During that time he took more than 1,000 photographs. He planned on making a scrapbook of a soldier’s life. This would be memories he would cherish for the rest of his days.
    He attended a family cookout on June 7 after returning home in April. It was a day he had earned for putting himself in harm’s way to protect our nation against those who would destroy our way of life.
    Roberge left his camera in his 2001 Red Dodge Dakota, which was parked in his driveway at 13 Morse Ave. in Wareham. When he awoke the next day, his camera, along with three memory cards and 1,000 images of his service were gone.
    When the Observer first learned of this, we offered a $300 reward for the return of the camera and memory cards. We hoped that whoever committed this theft would realize that some items are priceless when they are so deeply personal. We assured complete confidentiality if these memory cards were returned to us. There would be no questioned asked.
     Several weeks have past now, and the memory cards are still missing. Roberge is beginning to give up hope.
    Men like Wilfred Roberge deserve better than that. Soldiers who volunteer to serve their country do not deserve to have something as precious as memories stolen from them in the darkness of night.
    The Observer will now offer a $1,000 reward for the return of these memory cards. There will be no questions asked.
    Roberge’s camera and memory cards aren’t worth half that much at a pawn shop. For that amount of money, someone could buy an excellent, brand-new digital camera with multiple memory cards. All they need to do is call us at (508) 759-0404 and make arrangements to come to our office with the memory cards. I offer my solemn word that there will be no police intervention whatsoever. I swear that on the life of my children.
    We are not a multi-million dollar corporation. A thousand dollars is a lot of money for us, especially considering the challenging local economy we’re all facing right now. The Observer is not doing this for a tax write-off. This reward will be offered in cash. That’s how strongly I feel about this. When a young man who served in Iraq is wounded more deeply at home than on the battlefield, it’s the very least that I, as majority owner of this company, can do.
    William Roberge admits he made a mistake. He should never have left his camera in his truck. But he shouldn’t have to pay for that mistake for the rest of his life.
   "These pictures represent one of the greatest accomplishments in my life and some of my proudest moments," he said. "The pictures to me are priceless and I only have a handful saved on my computer. To me it is almost like I was never in Iraq like I never saw any of that. All I want are my pictures back."
    It is the Observer’s sincere hope that somebody reads this and realizes that there are some things far more important than money. Even if the individual no longer has these items in his or her possession, please call us and tell us where they might be. If these memory cards are recovered intact, we will give the reward to the person who helps us find them. Again, this will be handled with absolute confidentiality.
    What a wonderful gift it would be for Roberge and his family if these memory cards are returned to him on the Fourth of July. Please, please help us make that happen. If you do, God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

- Robert Slager