Soldier’s family loses all to theft

Jennifer Paulsen was looking forward to returning to Texas and seeing her husband after a year apart.

U.S. Army Cpl. Bryen Paulsen has been deployed to Iraq since November.

“You know, he’s coming home, and you’re so excited. I just wish I had more to welcome him home with,” Jennifer Paulsen said.

Her U-Haul trailer was stolen early Saturday from a motel parking lot near Oklahoma City as she, her two toddlers and her grandparents drove from Spokane to Fort Hood, Texas.

Taken with the trailer were all the Paulsens’ personal possessions including a toddler bed, clothing, toys and the boys’ Halloween costumes.

Thirteen-month-old Tristin doesn’t know what happened, but Chase, 2 1/2, keeps asking for his train set and bicycle.

Many of the stolen items are irreplaceable – newborn baby pictures and hospital ID tags, scrapbooks and wedding photos.

“It’s a good thing that Grandma – me – has a whole lot of pictures that I can make copies of,” said Jennifer Paulsen’s mother, Carolyn King, who lives in Millwood.

Jennifer Paulsen is a graduate of Spokane’s North Central High School, and Bryen Paulsen graduated from Riverside High.

Jennifer Paulsen and the boys spent the past year with family while her husband trained Iraqi soldiers south of Baghdad. She said it was difficult telling him that all their belongings are gone.

“I try to tell him not to worry about us,” she said. “He should worry about what’s going on over there and coming home.”