When a thief broke into World War II veteran Ben Waldron's Orangevale home last week, he stole more than some jewelry and other valuables -- he stole three years of the former POW's life.

Waldron, 84, and his wife returned home last week to find a burglar had invaded their home, making off with several items. But for Waldron, the most heartbreaking loss was the theft of his wartime diary, a book chronicling Waldron's three years in a Japanese prison camp after the 1942 capture of the small Philippines island of Corregidor.