CCDAMEEK
Sr. Member
- Aug 5, 2019
- 255
- 668
- 🏆 Honorable Mentions:
- 1
- Detector(s) used
-
Whites DFX 300;
Tesoro Tiger Shark;
Minelab CTX 3030
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
While water detecting at a boaters party spot on Tuesday following the 2011 Memorial Day weekend, I dug this bracelet off of the bottom of the lake, while using a snorkel and mask:
Upon reading it, and observing the date on it, my heart sank. I knew right away that it was a memorial bracelet for a soldier killed on that date - 08-19-2010, less than a year earlier.
Upon getting back home, my thoughts were confirmed by internet research. He was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb.
But my heart-ache got worse. He left behind a young wife, and twin infant boys....
I worked online tirelessly for weeks trying to get information to be able to contact someone, to try to return this to the individual who lost it, as I would be heartbroken if I had been that person. I even tried emailing the military's Civilian Affairs Department, told the story, and got a reply that "we will look into it" and get back to you. To this day, I am still waiting.
Continuing my internet search, I searched info about his hometown in Illinois and his last name. I came across the last name on something for sale a while before, and it had an address listed. But not knowing if this was the same family, I didn't want to just mail it out! So I Google searched the address, and found that directly across the road from that address was a church!
I was able to get a phone number for the church on-line, and called, having to leave a message on an answering machine.
Two days later, my phone rings. It was the soldiers Mother! The church secretary walked a note across the street to her with my information from the message I had left. Well, after fumbling for words, trying to explain, I was able to get the message out that I want to return the bracelet to whomever lost it.
His Mom told me that only 10 bracelets had been made, and were for her and her husband, the soldiers wife, and the remainder for his Marine squad. We are now friends on FaceBook, and this is a snip of private message from his Mom.
and, a partial photo of his Mom wearing her matching bracelet.
I packaged up the bracelet and mailed it to the soldiers Mother, who located and returned it to the soldier who lost it.
THIS IS my BEST find from metal detecting, and my best return. I don't think I could find anything In my lifetime that I would cherish more.
Upon reading it, and observing the date on it, my heart sank. I knew right away that it was a memorial bracelet for a soldier killed on that date - 08-19-2010, less than a year earlier.
Upon getting back home, my thoughts were confirmed by internet research. He was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb.
But my heart-ache got worse. He left behind a young wife, and twin infant boys....
I worked online tirelessly for weeks trying to get information to be able to contact someone, to try to return this to the individual who lost it, as I would be heartbroken if I had been that person. I even tried emailing the military's Civilian Affairs Department, told the story, and got a reply that "we will look into it" and get back to you. To this day, I am still waiting.
Continuing my internet search, I searched info about his hometown in Illinois and his last name. I came across the last name on something for sale a while before, and it had an address listed. But not knowing if this was the same family, I didn't want to just mail it out! So I Google searched the address, and found that directly across the road from that address was a church!
I was able to get a phone number for the church on-line, and called, having to leave a message on an answering machine.
Two days later, my phone rings. It was the soldiers Mother! The church secretary walked a note across the street to her with my information from the message I had left. Well, after fumbling for words, trying to explain, I was able to get the message out that I want to return the bracelet to whomever lost it.
His Mom told me that only 10 bracelets had been made, and were for her and her husband, the soldiers wife, and the remainder for his Marine squad. We are now friends on FaceBook, and this is a snip of private message from his Mom.
and, a partial photo of his Mom wearing her matching bracelet.
I packaged up the bracelet and mailed it to the soldiers Mother, who located and returned it to the soldier who lost it.
THIS IS my BEST find from metal detecting, and my best return. I don't think I could find anything In my lifetime that I would cherish more.
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