Bald eagle statue built by father of fallen soldier is stolen from New Hampshire vets memorial

WEBSTER, N.H. – A concrete statue of a bald eagle has been stolen from a New Hampshire veteran's memorial.

The statue was built by Bill Tracy in Webster and was part of the memorial on his property honoring deceased service members. His son, William Tracy Jr., died in 2003 when his helicopter crashed during a sandstorm while transporting troops between Iraq and Kuwait.

Tracy tells the Concord Monitor (http://bit.ly/1H3KQBw) there were tire tracks and several footprints nearby.

He called the Friday night heist a "slap in the face" and says he probably would've given it away had the thief asked.

Tracy says he doesn't know what he'll do with the spot if the eagle isn't returned, but he may leave it empty or replace it with a gold cast iron eagle.

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Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com