Dog tag found after 70+ years

[Snookledon]

My sister was contacted a few weeks ago by a very distant relative (somebody we didn't know) who had been contacted by a man in Australia. The Aussie had found a dog tag in the sand on a beach on an island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. The name on it was my dad's uncle, and it was from (I'm told) the only year the U.S. Army put the name/address of the next-of-kin on the dog tag. So the guy who found it contacted a woman who was about an 8th cousin, who contacted my sister who is the daughter of a nephew, and she put the situation in my hands.

So I just received the nearly 74 year old dog tag in the mail from Brisbane today. Right there on it is my great uncle's name and my great-grandmother's name and address. It's very moving that it made it from somewhere under the sand in New Guinea into my hands. My dad's uncle was much loved, never married, had no kids, and suffered emotionally after the war. It is a great honor to be able to remember him and help pass his name and story on.

The battle this is from was the Battle of Milne Bay, which was probably the battle that prevented Japan from invading Australia.

I'm thankful that neither the guy who found it nor the first person he contacted felt that they should keep it and sent it on to his closest living relatives.

 

[BSAGuy]

Wow. That is beyond cool. Your story gave me chills. A big salute to your dad's uncle and all the others who even though they came home, were never the same and who were willing to do whatever it took to defend our freedom.

 

[DC_MPA]

And that is why I do that same thing. I found a dog tag for a furry baby on my land I bought. Had to of been there for 20-30 years. I hunted the owners down and the cracks in their voice was warmth to my soul for doing the right thing. They couldn't believe that I had found those tags on their long passed away fur baby.

 

[Graybeard57]

Wow, that is moving. My father was a WWII vet. Those were special people, and we enjoy the lives we have today because of their courage and sacrifices.

 

[Jcan88]

What an honor to receive this on your great uncle's behalf. It is moving to think about what these gentleman have gone through to ensure our freedom.

 

[dpm802]

That's a great story ... stuff like this happens all the time, but each new incident continues to be touching.

A local news station recently reported that a woman was robbed of her handbag ... she wasn't worried about the money or the credit cards or anything else, the only thing she wanted back was her father's dog-tags that he had in the Korean War. She had been carrying them with her every since he passed away, and it meant the world to her.

 

[Goober]

That is awesome. What a great piece of family history.

 

[Hirsute]

Saw an article about this on either cnn or yahoo today. Great story and glad your family had this returned.

 

[honeycutt]

Very heart warming story. My dad fought in WW2 and the Korean Conflict. Just shows the world still has people with compassion for our war vets. It's often noted that { the right thing to do is not always the easiest to do }. Clearly this person knew the right thing to do. I'm truly happy for you family.