An Italian Man Flew To The US To Deliver Something Very Special To An American WWII Veteran

July 10, 2016

World War II veteran Bennie Howard Jr., 92, thought he would never live to see the day he'd hold his dog tags in his hand again.

Photo by CBS North Carolina

Dropped on a beach near Florence, Italy, when he was 19 years old, Howard thought the tag was gone forever, until a metal detector, a man from Italy, and Facebook reunited them.

Photo by CBS North Carolina

Jury Galli was searching for buried treasure on an Italian beach last year when he found Howard's tag. Galli contacted the Town of Wendell on Facebook – and the rest is history.

Photo by CBS North Carolina

Galli said he knew mailing the dog tags wouldn't be enough, so he paid for a trip to the United States so he could hand deliver the dog tag himself to Howard.

Photo by CBS North Carolina

"It's a beautiful moment for me. I remember, all my life, this moment," Galli said.

Photo by CBS North Carolina

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