US serviceman dog tag

[hoarder]

hi guys,
a fellow club member found the remains of a us servicemans dog tag in england

i want to return it to his relatives if possible but not sure who to contact or how to find his relatives

all i have is a partial info on the dogtag as follows

j pertuno
247t43 43
achman st#ertown pa

some details may be missing

any tips would be well received

i have found a stephen j pertruno but not sure if it is actually him

mike

 

[GregD475]

From Ancestry.com

Michael J Petruno born 1915 approx
61 Bachman St
Hellertown, PA
Father is Michael
Mother is Mary

I think I have found a family tree on ancestry.com let me know if you need me to contact this person

greg

 

[DrJoeprime]

A Great find...and I hope you keep us informed on searching for his relatives.

Depending on the circumstances, remember to provide the relatives the "find" site too. That might be quite important.

Regards, Joe (California)

 

[hoarder]

hi greg,
i have found a stephen j petruno but your guy might be him ?
i do not have access to ancestry so yes please give them this info
hopefully between us we can get a result

many thanks
mike

 

[GregD475]

Will do, also Stephen is Michael's younger brother and enlisted in 1942 where Michael enlisted in 1941. Will keep you updated

greg

 

[hoarder]

hi greg ,
fantastic news ,it looks like between us we might have the right family

i tried to send you a private message but it says you do not allow them or something like that ?

please keep me posted on any new developments please and many thanks for your help

mike

ps:my mate thinks i am taking to much time over a scrap of metal but i feel it is my duty to try and return what might be something sentimental that the person or families might want back

 

[GregD475]

Sent her an email with link to your original post. Hopefully she will contact me but I dont know how long it will take. Also I believe both Michael and Stephen survived the war.

Since I am new to this forum, how do I IM and change settings to allow IM

greg

 

[patp01]

I was very surprised to receive an email from Greg via Ancestry.com about this dog tag and pointing me to this forum. This dog tag belonged to either my father, Michael J Petruno, my uncle John J Petruno, or my uncle Stephen (Pete) J Petruno. All 3 lived next door to each other on Bachman St in Hellertown, PA during the 40's. During the war, my father was stationed in Newfoundland and Bermuda, so I suspect this is not his. I'm not sure where my uncle Pete was stationed but I don't believe he went overseas. However, my uncle John turned into kind of a family war hero. He was a medic stationed in England just prior to D-Day. He was among the first wave to invade Utah Beach on D-Day. He spent almost a year on foot, fighting across France and Germany, eventually making it to within 60 miles of Berlin where he caught pnemonia. He was sent home and discharged as the war was quickly coming to an end in Europe. My uncle received a map from the Army showing his personal path across France and Germany. Uncle John passed away about 6 years ago. My aunt is still living though, and she would be absolutely thrilled to see this dog tag. My aunt, cousins, and I would be very interested in how and where it was found. My email is petruno@sbcglobal.net

 

[hoarder]

what a pleasant surprise to see this on here this morning

i have emailed you and i will post the dogtag to you today

i am waiting for the actual finder of the dogtag to ring me with the details of where he found it

i am thrilled for you all and i just know you will " treasure " this dogtag

mike
ps many thanks to greg for making it all happen so quickly

 

[hoarder]

hi greg
her reply is on here this morning and i have been in contact with her via email
the dog tag will be on its way to her today with the info on how and where it was found
i am so thrilled about this as i know how much it will mean to her family

many thanks for making it all happen so quickly,the wonder of the internet

not sure about messages,perhaps it is in your profile settings ?

 

[GregD475]

Glad I could be of service. I also would be interested in the circumstances of the find

greg

 

[DrJoeprime]

 

[nebraskagoldhunter]

Isn't this a great hobby, and all the treasures that we find and joy we give to others.

 

[hoarder]

hi greg

it looks like stephen j petruno is the right person as his army number was 33485247 and there is a partial number of 247 on the dog tag
michael j petruno army number is 33112567 and john j petruno army number is 33623536 so it cannot be either of them
his nephew patrick petruno has been in touch and i am awaiting further information and a postal address and i will return the dog tag to the family
i really must mention the actual finder of the dog tag ,his name is Nigel Holt and he passed it onto me as finds co-ordinator for our club
i had this burning ambition to see if i could trace the relatives and return this family " treasure " although it is a bit battered it will mean a lot to them
i will of course keep you posted on any further information on this find
once again thanks for all your help with regards to this find
mike

 

[goodmore]

This is one of the best return stories I have ever read on here. For the relative to actually come on here and post made this story really oustanding. The power of the internet never fails to surprise me. Well done to all parties involved. I hope this man's family can relive some fond memmories.

 

[GregD475]

I am just glad everything worked out. I always liked working on mysteries. Our hobby does do good.

 

[Deusdigger]

What a great story with a great ending!

 

[Guvner]

We put delay into the system to keep them from abusing our classifieds. Unfortunately we were not able to keep it on the single problem forum so it affects everyone. My apologies to those it would have helped but due to unscrupulous people we all have to pay for their indiscretions.

I can't remember how many weeks it is but I think the number is 3.

Nice story too guys... Neat thing to do.

Guvner..

 

[gear box]

You guy's did a wonderful thing for the family and all veteran's. Thanks Great story and ending.
Gary

 

[mgpetruno]

Hi to all...this is wonderful news for the Petruno family...I know that Pat and Greg are on here they are my second cousins...and the dog tags are that of their uncle...such a great find...thank you for your hobby bringing more meaning to all of us who benefit from your finds...God Bless you...The Petruno family all lived on Bachman St, in Hellertown for many years...