Help me locate a Veterans family via found dog tag

[thrillathahunt]

Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

I dug this military dog tag at an old home site a little while back. It is printed backwards. I can make out the name and all the numbers. Any idea why the letters would be backwards?

Also, what would be the best way of searching who it belonged to? I found it in my hometown, maybe the VFW would know how to trace it? Any help with this would be appreciated.

 

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[thrillathahunt]

Re: Old dog tag

Ok, I feel like an idiot now.

The name is Plemon, Bolden US54076172 T-52

 

[jgas]

Re: Old dog tag

Can't wait to see the outcome of this one. Nice. jgas

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Old dog tag

Its 1941 to the early 70's type with the notch. EDITED: 1941-1964

http://www.snopes.com/military/notch.asp

 

[Lucas]

Re: Old dog tag

VITAL RECORDS - FALLS COUNTY, TX - DEATHS 1973

Bolden, Plemon 15-Aug-1973

http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/falls/vitals/deaths/1973/fallsd73.txt

 

[thrillathahunt]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

VITAL RECORDS - FALLS COUNTY, TX - DEATHS 1973

Bolden, Plemon 15-Aug-1973

http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/falls/vitals/deaths/1973/fallsd73.txt

Yeah, that's the only thing I could come up with too.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

WWII veteran?

 

[NGE]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Maybe Vietnam?............NGE

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Maybe Vietnam?............NGE

Maybe, but he appears to have died after the war, not in combat. (aug 73).

 

[Bramblefind]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Ancestry.com is acting weird and I am having trouble searching there. I found a few more clues though-

SS Index has his first name spelled with an "a"

PLEMAN BOLDEN 28 Apr 1931 Aug 1973

Another Texas Death Index shows his parents names-

Name: Plemon Bolden
Death Date: 15 Aug 1973
Death Place: Falls County, Texas
Gender: Male
Race:
Death Age: 42 years
Estimated Birth Date: 1931
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Marital Status:
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name: Willie Bolden
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name: Hattie Thompson
Mother's Birthplace:
Occupation:
Place of Residence:
Cemetery:
Burial Place:
Burial Date:
Additional Relatives:
Film Number: 2242950
Digital Film Number: 4169260
Image Number: 766
Reference Number: cn 93140
Collection: Texas Deaths, 1890-1976


Born after 1930 so he won't be on the last available census records but found this family in South Carolina which I thought was a possible fit for him. He does not show on the Texas birth records so it is very possible he was not born in Texas-


1930 United States Federal Census
about Will Bolden
Name: Will Bolden
Home in 1930: De Kalb, Kershaw, South Carolina
View Map
Age: 31
Estimated birth year: abt 1899
Birthplace: South Carolina
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Hattie
Race: Negro (Black)
Occupation:

Education:

Military service:

Rent/home value:

Age at first marriage:

Parents' birthplace:

View image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Will Bolden 31
Hattie Bolden 30
Lillie Bolden 13
Luella Bolden 12
Lizzie Bolden 10
Bell Bolden 8
Vermell Bolden 7
Ed Bolden 4 11/12
Lewis Bolden 3 4/12
Willie Bolden 1 6/12

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Too young for WWII. Im going to guess Korean War by his age but just a guess.

 

[Breezie]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Nice work Bramble & Lucas! Breezie

 

[Shortstack]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

This man was a Korean War veteran. That "T-52" means he had his tetanus shot in 1952. The "US" at the beginning of his Army serial number means he was a Draftee, therefore, an enlisted man, not an officer. The VFW or the American Legion can use his serial number, including the prefix, to gather info about him from St. Louis.

Edit:
US= draftee
RA= regular army (volunteer enlistee)
NG= national guard
ER= enlisted reserves

 

[trikikiwi]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Maybe Vietnam?............NGE

Maybe, but he appears to have died after the war, not in combat. (aug 73).

I beg to differ on a basic fact there BCH Mate. The War 'finished' in 1975.
A poignant reminder - it is our ANZAC Day on Sunday.
http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/resources/timeline

Mike

 

[trikikiwi]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

On Topic, That is a very cool find thrilla
Bramble again, proves Bestest Researcher
notwithstanding great contributions from Lucas and Shortstack
and thanks Spooky for the best laugh I've had today
Mike

 

[Des from down under]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

On Topic, That is a very cool find thrilla
Bramble again, proves Bestest Researcher
notwithstanding great contributions from Lucas and Shortstack
and thanks Spooky for the best laugh I've had today
Mike

THATS A NEAT POIGNANT AVATAR.....CHEERS

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Maybe Vietnam?............NGE

Maybe, but he appears to have died after the war, not in combat. (aug 73).

I beg to differ on a basic fact there BCH Mate. The War 'finished' in 1975.
A poignant reminder - it is our ANZAC Day on Sunday.
http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/resources/timeline

Mike

Well talk later, got to go to work but the last US soldier to die in combat was Jan or Feb of 73. I realize some US soldiers at our embassy and airport and many civilians remained until '75. Im not sure about New Zealands participation in 74-75 so I wont comment. 8)


ADDED: tell me if Im wrong, but I seem to remember Nixon pulling out of Vietnam in '73. The US embassy was overrun in 75 "officially" ending the war but for most it had already ended in Jan/Feb 73. I mean no disrespect to those that remained in South Viet Nam in 74-75..

ADDED: http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1969.html

 

[wds]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

i was in the army 1964-66, served in Viet Nam. My dog tags did not have a notch in them.

 

[thrillathahunt]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

Thanks for all of your help guys! This is getting interesting! This is what we have so far.......

Mr. Bolden was born in 1931 (possibly not in Texas) and died in 1973 in a neighboring county. He lived 42 years.

His dog tag says that he was drafted into the Army and had a tetanus shot in 1952 (fought in Korean War?)

He was a black man and had 7 brothers and sisters.

There is another mark on the tag that looks like '0 Would this be blood type?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help me locate a Veteran's family via found dog tag

i was in the army 1964-66, served in Viet Nam. My dog tags did not have a notch in them.

It appears you are correct. The last year for the notch was 1964. (Dec) https://www.armydogtags.com/a_VietnamNotch.php


Thanks for posting. It appears several links online are not correct. Im very surprised that Snopes would get this wrong. http://www.snopes.com/military/notch.asp It is to Mortuary Affairs we therefore turn for the answer to why the older style of dog tags (i.e., tags manufactured between 1941 and the early 1970s) worn by those serving in the U.S. military had notches in them.



The first link goes on to say that "it is entirely possible that a soldier was issued Notched Dog Tags after 1965. A base or camp may have had large supplies of Notched tags on hand and had not received the tags without the notch yet."


I think we pretty much established Korean War era for these tags.