Joe Hughes’ dog tag returned
Devtun sends us a link to the story of Joe Hughes’ World War One-era dogtag which was found by a fellow walking his dog and brought to Randolph, Massachusetts Police Officer Kevin Aldred who turned to social media to find the family of the owner;
Aldred’s posts to Facebook generated hundreds of responses and ultimately revealed details about the young soldier when a genealogist from New Hampshire offered to do some research.
She found out that Joseph E. Hughes had served in a machine gun unit in the 101st Infantry, had fought in battles at the Argonne Forest and others in France and was wounded.
“I had very sketchy information about my grandfather, very limited. I didn’t know what branch of the service he was in or what he did,” said Hughes.
The whole experience has left Hughes feeling grateful. He’s baffled about how a 100-year-old dog tag from the First World War ended up on the street in Randolph and elated that it came to him thanks to thoughtful people.
Category: We Remember
That is definitely one for the books.
That is the next town over from me! I’d be interested in finding how the dog tag got on the street.
Real head scratcher there.
The “9th Reg” that is written on the blackboard refers to the 9th Massachusetts, which was formed in 1861 and fought at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, Manassas, and Antietam. The 9th was again in action during the Spanish-American War. In 1916 or 1917, the 9th was redesignated the 101st Infantry Regiment as part of the 26th Infantry Division (“The Yankee Division”) in preparation for our entrance into WW I. The 101st amassed an enviable and distinguished battle history and returned home in 1919. (Source: http://yd-info.net/page5/page21/)
You just never know. Here’s a descendant of PVT Hughes whose only recollection is of him barking to have an unobstructed view of the Red Sox on TV. I suppose that would have been it for that descendant and others, but then someone found what looked to be a button….
Amazing…
Talk about a journey of epic proportions
Great story!
If that tag could only talk. . . . .
You betchum–except I don’t know that I would want to hear what it had to say.