A thief in Texas stole an iPod from a retired Army veteran who lost both of his legs and his right hand while serving in Afghanistan.
But this was no ordinary iPod.
"They didn't steal any of his jumper cables, air compressor machine," says his wife, Ashley Eberle. "They got away with his iPod. That was his independence."
"More disappointing. Nobody likes a thief, and there's always somebody that wants to have your valuables," says Ben Eberle, Retired Army Staff Sergeant.
Retired Army Staff Sergeant Ben Eberle served eight years in Afghanistan, where he lost both his legs and his right hand fighting to protect the American way of life.
The iPod he lost controls the functions of his prosthetic hand. It's called an iLimb.
"That's why I did it with an iPod because you need to carry it with you at all times."
"I can't work with another hand and I can't get that hand to work with another touch bionic iPod."
Eberle hopes South Texas can help him with a tip to track down his iPod.
It may take months to get him a replacement.
"It's not easy to get a prosthetic arm. It's a process. You know, he's going to be recasted, a new mold. Who says it might not happen again? That's the frustrating part. That they might come back again," says Ashley.
The veteran's wife added that her husband's prosthetic hand allowed him to get out of the house - and drive himself to his own appointments.
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