In 1942, Erven Oetting was injured when a mortar round fell on his machine gun nest while fighting the Japanese on an island in the Pacific. The explosion blew off an essential piece of his uniform, one he never thought he’d ever see gain. Remarkably, 75 years later, a man walking on that island saw […]
In 1942, Erven Oetting was injured when a mortar round fell on his machine gun nest while fighting the Japanese on an island in the Pacific.
The explosion blew off an essential piece of his uniform, one he never thought he’d ever see gain.
Remarkably, 75 years later, a man walking on that island saw something shiny sticking out from under a fallen palm tree, and vowed to find the owner.
In a WPTA documentary, Lost and Found, A Soldier’s Story, that aired last night, Erven Oetting, now 94 and living in Indiana, finally gets back what he lost in combat, his dog tags.
WPTA is the ABC affiliate in Fort Wayne, Ind. owned by Quincy Media.
Papua New Guinea is a long way from Fort Wayne. But that didn’t stop Brien McElhatten, WPTA’s news anchor, from traveling there to tell the story.
“This all originated when Brien took a phone call from the guy who, ultimately, flew to the United States to present Erven with his dog tags,” said Jonathan Shelley, WPTA’s news director.
“He literally just happened to be the one who picked up the phone (lesson to everyone — answer your newsroom phone!). Did we have a budget to send Brien to New Guinea and Australia? Honestly, no.”
Lost and Found, A Soldier’s Story
Comments (0)
Reader Interactions