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During the week of September 9th to 17th, some individuals broke into our cabin 4 miles west of Hill City, MN. They probably didn't know it at the time, but they broke into the cabin of 3 U.S. Army veterans. The 3 veterans, like so many others in our great country, put their lives on the line to make sure that America stays "the land of the free and the home of the brave". I would imagine that the people that broke into the cabin never served in the military. If they did, they would have learned to respect other's private property.

The deputy that filed the police report said that some teenagers had been partying on the Holy Water road and might be involved.

The two guns you took were the most meaningful to us. We feel bad that you also took our plastic camoflage storage bin, the gray bottles of Avon shampoo and condition (we thought this was odd), the two extension cords (one blue and one orange), the battery charger, and all those tiny one-ounce bottles of alcohol. Oh, and the 20 boxes of miscellaneous ammunition. Back to the guns, one was a gift that was given to me by my late mother and my gulf-war veteran father. There are a lot of memories with this camoflage single-shot 12 guage shotgun. Me and my friends call it the "mule" because it kicks so hard. I had killed over 50 turkeys with it before retiring it to the cabin over 2 years ago. We planned to hang it on the wall. The black single shot .243 scoped rifle that you took was my wife's first deer rifle. She misses it. She is a veteran too.[[In-content Ad]]

It's kind of ironic that the reason the "robbers" can walk around and do the things they like (drinking, trespassing, stealing, etc.), is because there are people in our Country (like the 3 veterans that the "robbers" stole from) who serve in the military and defend our way of life.

I would guess that the people that took all those things don't realize that stealing a gun is a felony. When you have a felony on your record, it makes it pretty tough to get a good job for the rest of your life.

We just really want the two guns back. If the people that took them feel like it, they can just leave them by the locked gate and the 2 "No Trespassing" signs that they walked around when they broke into our cabin. Don't bother going back up to the cabin unless you want to be caught on camera.

If you read this and have some information on the events or have seen a "new" gun or any of the items described above suddenly "appear" around your house, you may call Deputy Asmus at (218) 927-7408. Mention case #10-3567.

Lastly, to all of you reading this, have a wonderful Veteran's Day. If you are a Veteran, thank you for your service. I will always be proud of our Country and proud of the time I served and the committment I made to support and defend the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Marc Ruyak

Remer, MN

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