INDIANAPOLIS (WSVN) — A woman is on a special mission to find the owner of a teddy bear sent home from a soldier in Afghanistan.
“It’s just a lost bear, and it needs to find its way home,” said Amanda Fields. “This belongs to somebody, and it needs to be back with them.”
Over the weekend, a neighbor asked Fields’ daughter Amaya if she wanted any stuffed animals from a garage sale. Amaya picked out three teddy bears, a black one, a brown one and a tan one. However, the tan one ended up being a bit different than the others.
“My daughter was playing with it, one of my puppies stepped on it, and it made a noise, so she was going through each one, pushing their tummies or their hands or anything, and once she knew which one it was, she brought it to me immediately,” Fields said. “She said, ‘Mommy, it has a boy’s voice.'”
Upon closer inspection, Fields discovered the bear had a recorded message.
“Merry Christmas from Afghanistan. Daddy misses you. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’ll see you soon. I love you,” the bear said.
When she heard the word Afghanistan, the family knew the bear had a special meaning.
“They know what that means. They’re like, ‘This is a daddy who is in war, and we need to find this person,'” Fields said.
Fields and Amaya know the feeling. Amaya’s father and Fields’ husband is a Marine. “It hits close to home for us,” Fields said. “Just those little words of ‘I miss you,’ or ‘I’ll see you soon,’ or ‘I’m OK,’ is just so soothing. It hits home.”
Fields took to Facebook in an attempt to find the proper owner.
“Maybe they will be so happy, could be the last words. It could be just the voice and memories, sorry. It would be amazing to get it back,” Fields said.
Until the bear is back with its owner, Amaya said she promises to keep it safe, just like her brave daddy, and the daddy’s voice in the bear keep the country safe.
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