Suitcase filled with World War II artifacts returned to relatives of Navy veteran

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — After a mysterious suitcase full of World War II artifacts was found in a home in Chesterfield County, a social studies teacher and her students at Swift Creek Middle School have reunited the suitcase to relatives of its owner.

The teacher, Pam Plahs, worked with her students to trace the suitcase back to World War II veteran Leonard Daniel Kelley. The suitcase contained a pair of bell bottom pants, his Navy badges and uniform, and a mysterious lock and key.

Plahs emphasized the impact she hoped the project would have on her students, allowing them to find a real human connection between the artifacts and the person they belonged to.

“I want them to make a connection in history that is not just names and days but is people, people with feelings people with family, people with stories to be able to tell about their lives and about the people they’ve touched and that’s what we’ve hoped to have been able to do through this project,” Plahs said.

During an assembly during the morning of Monday, May 20, seventh graders provided an overview of the research project and showed a 15-minute document they created.

Kelley’s relatives traveled from Texas and North Carolina to attend the event and the suitcase was returned to them.

The relatives from Texas had not yet been to Swift Creek Middle School before, but the North Carolina relatives had visited in 2022 to help students learn about Kelley.

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