Bryan Bauman has a passion for metal detecting. It has led him to uncover countless treasures like coins, jewelry and military dog tags.
Bauman, 4th Civil Engineer Squadron fire captain, admitted that since he was a young boy, he always had a knack for collecting. A hobby that started out as collecting interesting rocks eventually evolved into metal detecting and collecting his findings.
“I saw a flyer for a metal detector club meeting,” said Bauman. “I asked my dad if he could take me to the meeting in Omaha and he did.”
It was at that meeting where the attraction of metal detecting stole his interest.
Years later, Bauman, who now resides in North Carolina, had the opportunity to search Civil War era camps and military training grounds.
In recent years, Bauman has found objects with identifying marks which led him to return the items to their rightful owners.
“If there are any identifying marks, if there is a name, I will try to track them down,” said Bauman.
One item Bauman was able to return was a dog tag belonging to Edward Staniewick, a military member who trained at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base prior to World War II.
Bauman received help from a volunteer dog tag return project group. The group members dedicate their time to returning lost dog tags and other mementos.
Through the help of their website, Bauman was able to find and contact Staniewick’s grandson, David Stanwick.
Stanwick never got to meet his grandfather, but through social media, he learned about family members he has in England.
“It's a physical connection to someone we otherwise wouldn't know,” said Stanwick.
Bauman said that returning the dog tag brought him a sense of fulfillment because he got to give back an important item that belonged to someone.
“I know if it was mine, to get a piece of your history back is absolutely incredible,” shared Bauman. “I spent 11 years active duty, and 21 years as a civilian firefighter. Your military days are precious.”
Bauman recently purchased an underwater metal detector he plans to explore lakes, rivers and other underwater areas.
“I just get great fulfillment out of helping people when it comes to stuff like this,” said Bauman. “It’s just incredible. Whether it’s a ring or whatever it is, if I can return something lost to someone, it’s just a real good feeling. That’s one of the benefits of detecting.”