A World War II veteran in Tampa receives something he thought he'd lost forever: his military dog tag.
- Military dog tag was lost in Normandy
- Boris Stern said it was returned recently
- Tag brings back memories for WWII veteran
Someone found it buried on the beach of Normandy, France. It was there for 74 years.
It came in a package Boris Stern never expected to receive.
"Where I lost it, when I lost it, how I lost it, I have no idea," Stern said.
The 92-year old opened the mail to see something he hadn't seen since he was 18. It was his dog tag from WWII.
"Incredible. Incredible that I still had that original dog tag. Bent, but really clear," Stern said.
It was sent to him with a note from a Frenchman named Jean Paul Mandier. He is a collector who found the tag using a metal detector in Normandy.
Boris Stern had not seen the tag since he was 18. (Tim Wronka, staff)
That's where Stern was in 1944, just days before the Battle of the Bulge. Seeing the tag again brought back one memory.
"I was thinking of the guys in my platoon. There weren't many left. I forget the numbers, but many were injured, wounded, killed," Stern said.
Seventy-four years later, the main tag Stern has now is his volunteer badge for Moffitt Cancer Center. He has one simple reason for why he still wants to help out.
"Because I'm able to. I have no reason not to," Stern said.
He has received worldwide attention since having his tag returned, but that's not what he wants folks to remember.
"All of the guys in my company, all the guys in my squad should be getting the same kind of attention. They were there. I'm lucky enough to still be around," Stern said.
The man who found the tag had a friend in Cincinnati help track down the name. That friend found Stern through a newspaper article written about his volunteer service.