Recently Ami Neiberger-Miller of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) invited StoryCorps Door-to-Door to come to Arlington National Cemetery to record stories with three families who lost loved ones during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sharon Capra came to remember her son, Tony Capra, who was killed by an improvised explosive device on April 9, 2008, in Iraq. Tony was the oldest of twelve siblings and always loved being the big brother. His father was in the military and traveled a lot, so Tony got to play the role of man of the house.
Sharon remembered when Tony was ten years old and her purse was stolen from a restaurant. “He immediately charged after the person who was running with my purse…so the owner of the restaurant ran out and chased him down and brought him back. You know, he just thought, ‘I just need to get back that purse,’ so off he ran. So many times, he surprised us by his actions.”
