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WWII veteran survived 3 wars, killed in home invasion

Posted at 10:46 AM, Nov 11, 2014
and last updated 2014-11-11 13:06:02-05
- CNN

– CNN

NORTH HIGHLANDS, Cali. – A California man didn’t survive to see Veterans Day; the Air Force vet survived three wars to be killed during a home invasion.

Last month, police say a group of thieves broke into his home and severely beat the elderly man.

“Even if he survives, he’s not going to have a quality life,” Akemi Girion said, the victim’s stepdaughter.

Girion had to make the toughest decision of her life this weekend and say goodbye to her stepfather, 91-year-old John Masson.

“His face was all broken, Jaw, cheek, head, everything was broken,” she said.

Masson was badly beaten when thieves broke into his North Highlands home in the middle of the night.

They blindfolded and tied up Girion and a caretaker before demanding Masson’s car keys.WWII vet killed home invasion CNN 1

“He didn’t give up his key because he’s a military man,” Girion said.

The suspects left was cash, jewelry and prescription drugs instead.

Masson’s injuries were too much, leading to his death this weekend.

“This is not a home invasion anymore. It’s a murder,” Girion said.

For half of his life, Girion said Masson served in the Air Force.

- CNN

– CNN

He served in World War II, the Korean War and the start of the Vietnam War.

“He told me he almost died a couple of times but he survived everything,” she said.

Masson spent the last half of his life taking care of his stepdaughter, who is disabled.

“We were two peas in a pod and they stole that from me; they stole my father,” she said.

A man who survived three wars and decades of military service is now the victim of a violent crime in his own home.

“Help us to catch the people who did that to my father,” Girion said.