North Carolina man finds WWII veteran's dog tag while treasuring hunting with metal detector

MEBANE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man in Mebane is working to connect with the family of a World War II veteran after finding his dog tag.

Ricky Hodgson loves metal detecting, and on one of his treasure hunts, he found what he thought was a piece of tin or scrap metal.

He discovered that it was a dog tag belonging to a soldier named Joseph Samuel Crabtree.

Hodgson knew he must find a way to return the dog tag to Crabtree's family. His family and friends serve in the military, so he understands the sacrifice soldiers like Crabtree make.

"Giving up their families, their time, to fight for their country, never knowing if they're going to come back or not," he said. "It means a lot."

In doing some online research, he discovered that the soldier was born in Orange County, North Carolina in 1924 and served in the Army Air Forces during WWII. This would later become the United States Air Force.

He also found that Crabtree died in 1975.

Our ABC11 crew went to the Durham address listed on the dog tag, hoping to find family, but no one answered.

We learned from a neighbor that the house there in the 1940s had been demolished. The lot had been vacant for many years and had only recently been rebuilt.

It was a social media post that helped connect Hodgson and Crabtree's family. They're working to find a time to meet up, we will bring you an update once that meeting happens.