More than 60 years ago, a World War II veteran lost his ID tags or “dog tags” while training at Fort Bliss in Texas.

Recently, a soldier using a metal detector uncovered the dog tags and asked the VFW to help him track down the family.

“I heard about the situation from my Post commander at the time, Bill Knudson, and I knew we should find the next of kin,” said Jack Eaton, commander of VFW Post 2653 in Antigo, Wisc. “It was no big deal to me, but I knew it was a big deal for the family.”

The dog tags were well preserved from being in the ground. Eaton knew that the family would treasure the tags as a memory of the veteran. He took on the project and began making phone calls. The last name on the tag was “Johnson,” so Eaton faced the daunting task of finding the right name among all the Johnsons in the local phone book.

“After over 70 phone calls, I told myself that I would try just a couple more when I finally hit the right person,” he explained.

“I met the veteran’s daughter in Gleason, Wisc., and we had a nice little visit,” he continued. “The veteran had passed away a few years ago, but his daughter was delighted to have the dog tags and talk about his time in the military.”

Eaton humbly insists that it’s all in a day’s work.

“It’s something I feel good about,” he said. “As a veteran and a member of the VFW, I felt it was the right thing to do.”

Eaton is just as dedicated to his work as Post commander.