Nearly 60 years after his military service ended, a Vietnam War veteran was recently reunited with treasured items from his time in the military.
Larry Morganti of Florence, South Carolina, was given a dog tag, a form of military identification, last month. He lost his metal tag in a rocket attack.
According to WPDE, the veteran served in the Air Force’s 311th Squadron and served as a crew chief on a C-123 cargo plane from October 1967 to October 1968.
Morganti told WPDE that construction workers in Sweden found the dog tag with a metal detector. The man searched desperately to contact the veteran, but it wasn’t easy.
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Larry Morganti of Florence, South Carolina, received a dog tag that was lost during the Vietnam War. (WPDE)
Morganti, an artist, displays her work at local business The Vault. Metal Detector reached out to the company’s Facebook page in hopes of getting in touch with Morganti.
Store manager Debra Lane told WPDE that she became cautious when she received a text message from the Swedish man, worried it was a scammer. She asked her if she knew an Air Force veteran and she explained that she had been looking for a metal prospector for over two years.
“I thought, what a great moment, the fact that this guy felt the need to return these tags to their original owners, the owners, and cared enough to do that.” Lane said.
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Mr. Morganti was assigned to the Air Force’s 311th Squadron and served as a crew leader on a C-123 cargo plane. (WPDE)
“And the fact that Mr. Larry is still alive is amazing to me. And I thought this was the best story we Americans could hear today,” she added.
In late April, Morganti received a dog tag and a letter in the mail from a Swedish man thanking him for his service.
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The missing dog tag was found by a metal detector in Sweden. (WPDE)
“I was really surprised. In fact, I couldn’t believe it for a second,” Morganti recalled. “It’s such a far-fetched idea to find a 56-year-old tag and then take another two years to bring it to me.”
“And I’m sure he was long and hard to find.”
Vault Manager Debra Lane helped coordinate the return of dog tags. (WPDE)
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Fox News Digital reached out to Morganti for comment, but he did not immediately respond.
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