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National Guard member robbed while helping hurricane victims

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WFLA/CNN) — A National Guardsman in North Carolina did not get the homecoming he imagined after he spent days helping victims of Hurricane Florence. 

Luis Ocampo, 24, spent several days along the North Carolina coast after the hurricane hit, serving as a member of the Army National Guard. While he was away helping others, his own home was robbed.

Ocampo lives with his girlfriend, Kaylee Finch, and their 1-year-old son in Charlotte. Finch said they were shocked when they realized their house was broken into. 

“It’s our home and knowing that someone watches your home and then breaks in when you’re not there, or even if you’re there,” she said. “I don’t know how people can be so terrible.” 

Finch and her son were not home when the break-in happened. 

The family said it happened overnight Thursday. They said they believe the suspects snuck in through a back window. 

The burglars then ransacked the home, taking a gun, a TV gaming system and a laptop Ocampo uses for schoolwork. Specialty coins and jewelry were also stolen. 

“It’s irreplaceable,” Finch said. “That’s not something that you can just get back.” 

Beyond all the valuables that were taken from the home, Finch told WSOC in Charlottet that her heart simply breaks for her hardworking boyfriend.  

“He does a lot for everybody,” she said. “He always wants to make sure that everyone else gets help.”

“I really hope it was worth it to see another family struggle and to watch someone go through what you did to somebody,” Finch added, addressing those responsible.

Family and friends of Ocampo set up a GoFundMe page to help him. The campaign was closed after it raised nearly $15,000 in just two days.