James Alderman – Lost Dog Tag Returned to USMC Vietnam Veteran, thanks to the help of his son, Jon
January 10, 2013
Lost Dog Tag returned to USMC Vietnam Veteran thanks to the help of his son
More than 45 years ago, Jim Alderman left behind a dog tag in Vietnam.
That 1-by-2-inch tin tag stamped with Alderman’s name, service number, service branch, religious affiliation and blood type made it back to the former U.S. Marine Saturday at a ceremony in east Orange County.
Standing in front of a group of fellow veterans at the Nam Knights motorcycle clubhouse in Bithlo, an emotional Alderman accepted the tag, taking back something he thought was lost to history.
“I’ll remember this day till the day I die,” said 64-year-old Alderman of Kissimmee, while his wife Pat and son Jon looked on.
In 1967, Alderman was 18 when he arrived in Vietnam as a member of the 3rdReconnaissance Battalion Charlie Company. Five months into his tour of duty, enemy fire struck Alderman near his wrist and chest. While medics tended to his wounds, Alderman’s boots — where he stored his dog tag — were removed and placed in a pile near a dozen dead soldiers.
A sergeant told Alderman to go find his dog tag, but Alderman said he “had enough respect for the deceased not to go through their gear.” He received a new tag.
Alderman finished his 13-month tour of duty the following year, and eventually returned to Florida where he worked as a truck driver.
More than 30 years later, a Wall Street trader traveling in Vietnam stumbled across a someone selling dog tags in Ho Chi Minh city. For $100, Manny Santayana bought more than 100 dog tags and brought them back to the U.S.
Since then, the collection was given to Senator James Beach of NJ and the New Jersey Dog Tag Committee was formed and has been returning tags to members of the military.
Earlier this year, Alderman’s 30-year-old son Jon found the organization online and contacted its organizer. After a verification process, Jim Alderman’s tag was returned.
“This particular thing was half-way around the world in a foreign country and it makes it back to me today?” Alderman said. “This is unbelievable…What are the odds?”
The tag and a certificate from Senator James Beach that Alderman received during the ceremony will be framed along with several items he kept from his time as a Marine.
“It’s been out of my hands for 45 years and eight months,” he said. “I’m going to keep it now.”
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