BAKERSFIELD, California (KERO) – A U.S. Army veteran found his uniform in an antique store.

Xenos Lopez served in the Army as a parachute rigger and infantryman from 2004 to 2010.

He says he lost his Army greens when he moved from one part of Bakersfield, Ca. to another back in 2016.

The loss left him heartbroken because he said he sees the uniform as a representation of the time he spent serving his country.

Recently, Lopez and his wife were in an antique mall and came across the lost uniform, medals and all.

The owner of the shop said he could tell that Lopez was the rightful owner and let him have it for free.

“I said no, that’s yours, you earned that,” store owner Rick Freels says. “I could tell how much he appreciated it.”

“He saw that it was mine and he thanked me for my service and said, ‘You know, you earned it, you take it.’ I almost cried in here because I was so happy and I just can’t be more thankful,” Lopez says.

Lopez says he’ll add his uniform to a shadow box he’s been building to commemorate his time in the military.