Three times he crawled through barbed wire as German machine guns rattled death above, ignoring his wounds to carry grenades that would save his brigade from annihilation.

Much is known about how Lieutenant Milton Gregg became a hero, one of only 94 Canadians awarded a Victoria Cross, a medal so rare it has sold for $400,000 at auction.

But what became of that Victoria Cross - that's become an unsolved crime whose origins were in a military museum in London.

"They took something that was sacred," Lt.-Col. John Fife said.

Fife was once commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment, whose storied history includes only two Victoria Crosses. When Gregg died in 1978, his family donated his medals to the regimental museum at Wolseley Barracks in London.

Seventeen months later, on Christmas morning 1979, duty officer Andrew Butters was wakened to awful news. Someone had stolen the Victoria Medal.

"I was shocked that someone would have the audacity to steal something like that," Butters recalled.

Now, Fife is determined to find the medal - the search is on again.

"Come forward, no questions asked, and do the right thing by returning these medals so they can be displayed for future generations to see and learn about this great Canadian, great New Brunswicker and great member of The Royal Canadian Regiment," said Fife, who is now deputy commander of the Combat Training Centre at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.

To read the complete article, see:Hunt on for storied vet's ripped-off Victoria Cross(www.lfpress.com/2012/11/09/hunt-on-for-storied-vets-ripped-off-victoria-cross)