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November 22, 2019 a ceremony to reunite a WWII dog tag found in the Netherlands with a surviving family member was held at Tinker Air Force Base.
This year the Netherlands began a year-long celebration of the 75th Anniversary of their liberation from German control during World War II. For the last couple of months, there have been commemorations around the country associated with the Allied invasion in September 1944. Many of these commemorations happen on a small-scale in villages and towns. They are organized by volunteers who are hugely enthusiastic about remembering their gift of freedom.
On Sept. 21, one volunteer group found a dog tag near a monument that marks the site of a Sept. 23, 1944 plane crash. The plane was a C-47 troop carrier, and the dog tag belonged to Flight Mechanic (TSgt) Orville Journey. TSgt Journey was killed in the crash and is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. The volunteer group, including First Lieutenant Willem van der Steen of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, who actually found the dog tag, held a small ceremony at the Netherlands American Cemetery on Nov. 15 to reunite the dog tag with TSgt Journey. Then on Nov. 21, Lt. van der Steen flew to Oklahoma City to give the dog tag to TSgt Journey’s only surviving immediate relative, his younger brother Dwight.
The aircraft was shot down during Operation Market Garden. There was another crew member killed in the crash of the Buzz Job Mike, 2Lt Cyril Babcanec. 2Lt Babcanec is also buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery. Pilot, Capt. John Kirry, survived the crash and spent the rest of the war as a German POW.
There are 8,291 Americans buried here in the Netherlands and another 1,722 listed on the Wall of the Missing, and every single soldier has been adopted by a Dutch citizen.
Members of the Journey, Babcanec and Kirry families have been in contact with each other over the years. The surviving relatives of the Kirry and Babcanec family were invited to this ceremony, but were unable to attend.
| Date Taken: | 11.22.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2019 10:54 |
| Category: | Video Productions |
| Video ID: | 724572 |
| VIRIN: | 191121-F-CO936-001 |
| Filename: | DOD_107472738 |
| Length: | 00:16:01 |
| Location: | US |
| Downloads: | 2 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 2 |
This work, WWII Dog Tag makes final trip home, by Jillian Coleman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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