Metal Detectorist Unearths WWII Era Promise Bracelet

I doubt I’m alone in feeling that our daily newsfeed is too often dominated by national stories that are sad, sensational, or polarizing. In this context, I want to offer up something that is a little more light-hearted and local.

My 22-year-old son, Max, is an avid metal detectorist and history buff. He spends hours researching regional parks and old aerial maps in an effort to pinpoint fertile ground for metal detecting. Over the years, he's found countless coins, rings, jackknifes, horseshoes, and plenty of other trinkets. Naturally, he unearths a lot of trash as well, which he diligently disposes. Earlier this spring, he found a particularly intriguing item: a WWII era silver bracelet.

One benefit of finding silver items is that they tend to suffer from minimal erosion or discoloration, so they come out of the earth in reasonably good shape. In this case, the condition of the bracelet was well enough preserved to easily identify the name John Byron inscribed above an eight-digit number on the front, and "Ann to Jack 1943" on the back.

Silver items are always treasured discoveries and earn a prominent location on my son’s display shelf, but this one was different. Sensing the sentimental value of the item and armed with enough information to do some rudimentary detective work, Max took to the internet. It didn't take long to determine that the number on the front of the bracelet is an Army serial number, and from there the pieces quickly fell into place.

Max’s research revealed that John (Jack) Byron enlisted in the army in 1942 and was stationed overseas from 1943 thru 1944 as a private in the 509th Quartermaster Company. He died May 19, 1995. A photo of Jack’s tombstone suggests that his and Ann's relationship stood the test of time.

Max’s obvious next step was to try to track down a living relative who might appreciate the return of such a sentimental family keepsake. Once again, the internet did not disappoint. Max was able to locate Dave Kurtz, a relative from Ann’s side of the family. Dave was both nonplussed and touched by the outreach. As it turns out, Dave was the perfect contact, as he is an amateur genealogist and full-time IT professional who also enjoys metal detecting.

Dave quickly confirmed that Jack’s daughter, Linda, and granddaughter, Chelsea, would welcome the opportunity to take possession of the bracelet, and arranged to meet Max at a local library for the hand-off.

I’m not sure there is a moral to this story, in the purest sense of the word, but perhaps there are a few takeaways that we can all consider.

First, there is still a lot to discover in the natural world if we periodically pull up from, and out of, the artificial construct of social media that dominates so much of our lives. Second, a little kindness and selflessness goes a long way, both for the giver and the recipient. Finally – and this is especially important – if you’re going to invest in an important piece of jewelry for your significant other, make sure that it comes with a strong clasp.