Vietnam Dog Tag to be returned to widow of Lance Cpl Spalding
August 6, 2016 - Shepherdsville, KY – It’s unclear when Raymond Spalding lost his dog tags in Vietnam. But there, while serving our country, some 50 years ago, USMC Lance Corporal Spalding, a qualified Sharpshooter, lost one.
Decades later, Lance Corporal Spalding’s dog tag was brought back from Vietnam, along with over 400 other dog tags, by a retired Chief of Police officer from West Deptford, NJ. He had been in DaNang, Vietnam as logistics support for the medical mission called Operation Smile.
Spalding, after returning home from Vietnam, married his long time sweetheart, Teresa, worked for Ford Motor Company for over 30 years, and was a member of United Auto Workers 862. Unfortunately, he passed away on September 2, 2005.
Today, nearly 50 years since Spalding served in Vietnam, his dog tag will be back with his family.
Patriot Connections of NJ, who now heads up the Dog Tag Project, researching, finding and coordinating the dog tag returns, enlisted the help of long time partner, Nam Knights of America MC, to help with getting Spalding’s dog tag back with his family.
Director of research, Sue Quinn-Morris, indicated that whenever possible, the dog tags are hand delivered to the veterans and/or their family members by another veteran.
And so it will be today.
Bob “Wolfie” Henderson, the President of the Nam Knights of America MC Kentucky Chapter, along with the American Legion Riders Post 157, will be presenting Spalding’s widow with her husband’s dog tag in a ceremony at 12noon at the American Legion, 830 Old Preston Hwy S., Shepherdsville, KY