Purple Heart medal stolen from Valencia widow's home

VALENCIA (KABC) -- Thieves stole precious valuables that held much more than monetary value when they broke into a Valencia widow's home.

Among the items stolen from Mari Woods' house: Her late husband Gary's Purple Heart medal, earned as an Army sergeant in the Vietnam War.

Also gone was her husband's TAG Heuer watch that she had specially engraved for his 60th birthday and that she was going to give to her grandson.

"That was hard for me," she said.

The thieves broke in through a sliding door on her second-story balcony.

"When I came upstairs I noticed that the sliding glass door was completely shattered, and there was glass all over the floor," said Woods.

Devastated about the stolen items, her granddaughter posted photos of the ransacked home to social media in hopes of finding some of the valuables.

But so far, nothing has turned up.

"I can buy another TAG watch and give it to my grandson but it doesn't have the same meaning," said Woods.