✅ SOLVED Help finding Dog Tag Owner

Kapidr

Kapidr

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Mar 17, 2014
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By the sea
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I found these dog tags, one stainless, one Sterling Silver, today while metal detecting the beach on the East Coast of Florida. Can someone help me locate the owner or the owners next of kin so I can return them? Are they WWII Dog Tags?

Thanks!

Jan 4 18 Dog Tags.jpg
 

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I think they very well could have been consigned to the sea with the ashes.. but it is possible they were lost. Regardless how they got there they have been found. Without any proof either way I would think the right thing to do if possible would be to give them to a family member and let them decide what to from there. I know it would bother me to throw them back to the sea not knowing..
 

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Id keep them, if you cant find family to give them to. That sailor probably doesnt care what happened to his dog tags. I know if they were mine, I wouldnt mind if someone who appreciated them held on to them.
 

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OBN said:
My questions is....Sterling dog tags? How rare is that? I've found several, never sterling...did they even issue sterling or did this guy have a sterling blank made then when stamped they did both at the same time? Maybe he had Connections/friends...? What a great save!! :notworthy:
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I know that sterling will not rust in salt water like the standard issue. I know that early marksman and other commendations were sterling. Not sure if any dog tags were or if these were available for purchase privately when you hit port. I doubt he had it custom made.
 

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Mackaydon said:
If there are no relatives left, I'd offer them to the Coast Guard station where he was based--espeicallly if the station has an area that celebrates the history of that station.
Don........
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That’s a great idea Don[emoji106]
 

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I know this doesn't get us closer to finding a family member but I thought it was a cool piece of his story.
Looks like the Navy "borrowed" him from the Coast Guard and assigned him to the USS LST-22 tank landing ship.

Untitled-1.jpg 32861_248060-00176.jpg 1016002204.jpg 1016002201.jpg
 

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That poor fella wasn't but 38 when he died. I wonder what got him?
 

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Mackaydon said:
Sidebar: As to one tag being Sterling Silver, I must have failed in seeing either ".925" or the word "Sterling" on either tag.
Perhaps neither are, but one was cleaned, the other was not cleaned.
Don....
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After digging 100's if not 1,000's of pieces of sterling silver (coins, jewelry, flatware etc) out of salt water beaches you just learn to recognize that sterling turns purple in that environment. The chain also on the sterling silver tag is marked AUTOMADE STERLING as well. I have not tried yet to clean the actual dog tag as I think it's pretty cool left purple.
 

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I have a possible phone number for a possible son and an email address to a possible grand daughter that I will try to reach out to tomorrow. I'll post if they pan out or not. Thank you so far for everyone's help and private messages leading me to this information!
 

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Kapidr said:
I have a possible phone number for a possible son and an email address to a possible grand daughter that I will try to reach out to tomorrow. I'll post if they pan out or not. Thank you so far for everyone's help and private messages leading me to this information!
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Any luck contacting family?
 

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As a disabled vet and a huge WWII history junky. It makes me so proud of the people on this site. The response of so many to just this thread to find the owner of a single dog tag makes my eyes water a little ( I get teary eyed hearing Taps) You people are amazing and I'm proud to be associated with you.
 

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Looking harder,
The best TH experience I've had is joining with the American Legion and another TH-er in Europe to create a Memorial Day event in Ohio of returning a WWII 'dog tag' to an soldier who lost it during the Battle of the Bulge. And I've had a few good experiences, like salvaging a Spanish galleon--but the return of that tag tops them all. I salute you for your service.
Don.....(USAF '63-'69)
 

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UPDATE: I reached the son of the Dog Tag owner, Tim, today by phone. Interestingly enough Tim has his father's dog tags. I can assume that this set was lost and then replaced. I did learn that Byron Reese Berlin did indeed die of a sudden heart attack when he was 38 years old. His son, Timothy was 4 at the time. Tim knows almost nothing about where and how his father served or how the Dog Tags ended up in Florida or why one was Sterling Silver. The Dog Tags are going out in the mail back to Tim this week. Thank you to everyone that helped to locate both the son and the granddaughter of Mr. Berlin. Tim stated that since he already has a set of his fathers dog tags that he may give this set to his sister or one to his sister and one to his daughter. Tim was very grateful for everyone's work in contacting him.
 

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Kapidr said:
UPDATE: I reached the son of the Dog Tag owner, Tim, today by phone. Interestingly enough Tim has his father's dog tags. I can assume that this set was lost and then replaced. I did learn that Byron Reese Berlin did indeed die of a sudden heart attack when he was 38 years old. His son, Timothy was 4 at the time. Tim knows almost nothing about where and how his father served or how the Dog Tags ended up in Florida or why one was Sterling Silver. The Dog Tags are going out in the mail back to Tim this week. Thank you to everyone that helped to locate both the son and the granddaughter of Mr. Berlin. Tim stated that since he already has a set of his fathers dog tags that he may give this set to his sister or one to his sister and one to his daughter. Tim was very grateful for everyone's work in contacting him.
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That’s awesome Kapidr!!!! Great work everyone that helped out!!
 

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