Their rented house of five years was suddenly foreclosed upon. Meghan Burns, her three children and her boyfriend, Jeremy Teitler, were in a rush to move to a smaller apartment.
Teitler took a final check around the attic.
In the corner was an unfamiliar suitcase full of dated photo albums. A framed display of military medals and uniform pins from the Vietnam War rested on a basket nearby, covered with a cloth. An American flag that would once have adorned a soldier's coffin was folded among the objects.
Sometime during the display's long life, the glass in the frame shattered over the awards.