US dog tag found buried in Lincolnshire garden after 70 years

The family of a late US Air Force veteran say the discovery of his dog tag in a back garden in England – 70 years after it was lost – is “a blessing”.

Daniel Rapue, who died in 2001, was stationed at RAF Sturgate, near Gainsborough, during the 1950s.

His military ID tag was discovered under 3in (8cm) of soil by metal detectorists at a property in Kexby, not far from the former base. His descendants were then traced to Colorado, US.

One of the enthusiasts, Adam Dreikluft, said: “I’ve always wanted to find a piece of living history and to try and track the family down. We’ve done it.”

Dreikluft said he and a friend had been given permission to search the garden by the home’s owners and it was the start of an “amazing story”.

“I just couldn’t believe what I was holding in my hand,” he said.

“I just love it, I love metal detecting, just finding history like this. It makes my day.”

Anna Draper, an amateur local historian, became involved after images of the tag were posted on social media.

She tracked down Rapue’s descendants by using historical records.

“I thought, ‘Ooh this is just the thing I love to do’,” she said. “It makes it so worthwhile that I’ve managed to connect them.”

Sturgate was used by the US Air Force in the 1950s, when Rapue served as a technical sergeant in explosive ordnance disposal.

He lived in the house where the tag was found.

Cathy Mosbarger, Rapue’s eldest daughter, said she would be “forever grateful” to the group for reuniting the family with her father’s dog tag.

She added: “I just feel like he’s reaching out to us, and it’s a really neat way to start the year.

“It’s just been wonderful.”