A security camera captured images of 2 people breaking into a VFW in Cary

Two people were seen on surveillance cameras breaking into a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Cary last week.

Police suspect a man and a woman illegally entered the Franklin-Sloan VFW Post 7383 on Reedy Creek Road at about 1:15 a.m. Friday.

The pair can be seen on video footage breaking the glass of an exterior door and entering the building. Then they can be seen breaking a deadbolt on an interior door, grabbing a set of keys and opening a locker where cash is stored.

“They knew exactly where to go,” said Richard Grimes, quartermaster for the VFW post, which has about 323 registered members.

The post lost about $2,000, including the costs for repairs, Grimes said.

“The outpouring from the community has been great,” he said. “Many people have expressed their outrage – outrage that whoever they were, stole from vets.

“When they steal from us,” Grimes said, “they’re really stealing from U.S. vets.”

The group has helped “down on their luck” veterans get back on their feet over the past year, said David Wagoner, commander of the post.

“We’ve paid monthly rents, keeping guys from evictions. Paid utility bills a couple of times,” Wagoner said. “We’ve put veterans and their families up in hotels for one, two, three, four, five nights, when we needed to.”

The group also helps veterans manage and understand bureaucratic processes required to receive Veteran Affairs claims and disability payments, Wagoner said.

Cary police are investigating the break-in.

VFW members have set up a donation page in hopes of recovering the group’s losses.