WWII vet's luggage with war medals returned after being lost by United Airlines

CAMARILLO, Calif. (KABC) -- A World War II veteran was devastated when his luggage containing all his war uniforms, ribbons and medals was lost by United Airlines when he flew out of the Los Angeles International Airport for a reunion in Virginia.

After Emmett Nolan's family reached out to ABC7 for help using #abc7eyewitness on Monday, United Airlines said they were searching for his luggage.

Nolan's luggage, after being missing for nearly a month, was delivered to his home in Camarillo on Thursday.

"I thought it was gone. I didn't think we'd recover it. Thought someone had found it, bootlegged it and sold it," Nolan explained. "We got the people, they called in (to ABC7) and you people really got on the ball and they chased it down and they found it in Newark, New Jersey."

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Nolan was heading to Norfolk, Virginia, for a reunion with his brothers of the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles.

He was 18 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Army back in 1943 and he became a paratrooper with the elite division.

Nolan's first battle was the Normandy Invasion and he also survived the Battle of the Bulge.