An American citizen traveling in
Russia found the tags and bought it off a vendor
By Louis Casiano | Fox News
Fox News Flash top headlines for
October 1
An Army identification tag lost
by an American soldier when he was wounded by a grenade blast in Vietnam was
returned Wednesday to his widow after it was found by an American traveling in
Russia.
Gov. Doug Burgum presented the
tag -- referred to as dog tags -- to Ruth Hepper, of Bismarck, N.D. Her
husband, Ronald Hepper, 58, died in 2007, Burgum's office said in a news
release.
"We are eternally grateful
for the courageous service and sacrifices made by Ron Hepper and all North
Dakotans who proudly served their country in the Vietnam War, as well as their
families, especially those whose loved ones never came home,” Burgum said.
“While we wish we were able to return these tags to Ron himself, we are
thankful for the opportunity and tremendous honor to present this keepsake to
Ruth on behalf of a grateful state and nation.”
Hepper, nicknamed
"Cowboy" by his fellow soldiers, voluntarily enlisted in the Army in
1967 after graduating high school and served in the 196th Light Infantry
Brigade. He had been in Vietnam a few months on June 11, 1969 when he was
injured by a hand grenade. The blast blew off his boots where he placed a set
of dog tags.
Afterward, he woke up in a
hospital without his boots or tags. He spent three months in an amputee ward but
doctors were able to save his legs, which were filled with shrapnel. He was
awarded the Purple Heart and returned home to Isabel, S.D., after his military
service.
Hepper and his wife moved to
Bismarck a few months before his death to be closer to relatives.
An American came upon the tag
while traveling in Russia, the release said. It did not specify when it was
discovered. The person purchased the tag from a vendor in Moscow and delivered
it to the American Embassy, which forwarded it to the Department of Veterans
Affairs in Washington, D.C.
“VA records reflect that Mr.
Hepper served with great distinction and sacrifice during the Vietnam
War," VA Asst. Secretary James Hutton wrote in a letter to Ruth Hepper.
"The opportunity to return the tag is extremely meaningful as VA and the
Department of Defense are currently honoring the heroes of Vietnam Era Veterans
and their families.”
It was unclear how the tag ended
up in Russia but Ruth Hepper has a theory. She believes Russian soldiers
fighting alongside the North Vietnamese military may have collected them.
American military artifacts were sought in Russia and China after the Cold War,
the news release said.