Old Town Lansing, MI, Letter Carrier Adrienne Burns recently went above and beyond for customer Robert Haywood.
During a recent delivery to Haywood, Burns noticed he was upset.
“Robert comes out every day when I’m delivering to receive his mail, so I’ve gotten to know him over the past 10 years. I could tell something was wrong. He just started crying and telling me somebody had broken into his house while he was away over the weekend. I started crying because I just felt terrible and heartbroken for him,” Burns said.
The retired Marine sergeant and Vietnam veteran, who lives with his dog Forest, told the Postal Service employee that he noticed his military medals, including a Purple Heart, were stolen, along with some cash and other items.
Burns took to social media to relay what happened.
Eaton County Commissioner Nicole Christensen, who is a friend of Burns, saw her post and responded she could help order Haywood replacement medals through U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett.
“She reached out to me and she was like, ‘Hey, what can we do? Let’s do something for Robert.’ And this is what we were able to do,” Burns said.
Christensen got in touch with Barrett’s congressional office. He and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins presented Haywood with new medals at the nearby VFW National Home.
Burns said she knows the military decorations are Haywood’s pride and joy, which is why she went the extra mile for him.
“People just feel they can open up to us. They see us every day. We are the face of this organization and it’s all about helping people,” she said.
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