Vet reunited with lost dog tags

September 08, 2008 8:17 AM

WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A West Michigan Vietnam veteran has found the dog tags he lost 40 years ago thanks to the help of a stranger.

Jerry Howe served in the Marine Corps and he lost his tags in a Vietnam hospital. Locals would hoard the tags and sell them so Howe figured he'd never see them again.

Thanks to an Eagle Scout in New Jersey, Howe was reunited with his dog tags. The scout was helping out a man in New Jersey who bought 450 tags in an effort to return them to their owners.

"They had no clue where it was so I just let it go for 40 years. Then all of a sudden it pops up. It was strange. A good feeling," said Howe.

Howe says he's not letting his tags out of his sight. He's going to carry them in his pocket wherever he goes.