Vietnam veteran reunites with lost dog tag after 56 years: 'I didn't believe it'

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A Vietnam War veteran recently reunited with a precious souvenir from his military career, nearly six decades after his service ended.

Florence, South Carolina, resident Larry Morganti was given his dog tag, a piece of identification for military personnel, last month. He lost the metal tag during a rocket attack.

According to WPDE, the veteran served in the 311th Squadron of the Air Force and worked as a crew chief on a C-123 cargo plane from October 1967 to October 1968. 

Morganti told WPDE the dog tag ended up in the hands of a Swedish construction worker named Kristoffer Hansen. Hansen told the Post and Courier his friend, who lives in Vietnam, sent him the object after he found it with a metal detector.

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Florence, South Carolina, resident Larry Morganti was given his lost dog tag from the Vietnam War. (WPDE)

Hansen has an extensive military memorabilia collection, but a dog tag belonging to a living veteran was not something he wanted to keep. He searched diligently to get into contact with Morganti, but it wasn't easy.

Morganti, who is an artist, has his work displayed at a local business called The Vault. Hansen found the business on Facebook and reached out in hopes of reaching Morganti.

Store manager Debra Lane told WPDE she was cautious when she received a text from the Swedish man, fearing that he might be a scammer. After asking if she knew the Air Force vet, Hansen explained that he had been looking for him for over two years.

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Morganti served in the 311th Squadron of the Air Force and worked as a crew chief on a C-123 cargo plane. (WPDE)

"I thought to myself, what a wonderful moment that this guy felt the need to return these tags to their original owners, or their owner, I should say, and the fact that he cared enough to do it," said Lane.

"And the fact that Mr. Larry is still alive is fabulous to me. And I just thought that it was the best story that we as Americans can hear today."

In late April, Morganti received the dog tag in the mail and a letter from Hansen thanking him for his service.

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The lost dog tag was given to a Swedish military memorabilia collector by his friend, who lived in Vietnam. (WPDE)

"It was real surprising. In fact, for a second, I didn’t believe it," Morganti told WPDE. "It’s such a far-fetched idea to find tags 56 years old and then another two years to bring them to me.

"And he searched, I’m sure, long and hard to find them."

The Vault manager Debra Lane helped coordinate the return of the dog tag. (WPDE)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Morganti for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

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