Backpack brewhaha for new recruit

Saturday, March 22nd 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Lincoln, Nebraska-AP) -- Army recruit Josh Hohensee got more help than he could have imagined when he forgot his backpack at the airport in Oklahoma City while on his way to boot camp at Fort Sill.

Hohensee, of Lincoln, Nebraska, forgot his backpack last week at Will Rogers World Airport and it was turned over to Oklahoma City police.

It held a Bible, a sweat shirt from his girlfriend and his Army assignment papers.

Someone would have to prove ownership to pick it up, and it was against police policy to mail the backpack to him.

Hohensee couldn't leave boot camp in Lawton to pick it up and his parents were not excited about driving more than 400 miles from Lincoln to Oklahoma City.

Seconds after Oklahoma City radio station KTOK ran a story about the backpack, people began calling volunteering to make the trip to Lawton.

In the end the police department made an exception in its policy and mailed the backpack to Fort Sill.