Dog Tags Returned to World War II Vet 74 Years after Being Lost in Normandy
When Boris Stern received a phone call that his dog tags were found 74 years after he lost them while fighting during WWII, he thought it was a scam. He couldn’t believe that the person on the phone had a friend in France who found his dog tags while searching for WWII relics with a metal detector in Normandy. The call came just days before his wife of 68 years passed away.
Stern remembers WWII like it was yesterday. He vividly talks about boot camp and playing baseball on the company team before being shipped overseas in 1944. Stern says he knew he lost his dog tags, but couldn’t recall the exact moment when he knew they were gone.
He exchanged e-mails with the WWII buffs and shortly after New Year’s Day 2018, a package arrived containing the familiar rectangular metallic identification he lost in Normandy as a teenage soldier.
He’s thrilled to have them back in his possession and they bring back a lot of memories and he hopes to thank the person who found them in person one day.
Stern still gives selflessly to be of service to others by volunteering at Moffitt Cancer Center and was recently named a Knight of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor for his service during WWII.
