SIOUX CITY -- For more than 50 years, the identification tags of a U.S. Navy sailor sat on top of a dresser in Alvin Kay's bedroom.
Kay had uncovered the tags -- bearing the name of "D.W. Tooker" -- in a pile of dirt delivered to his Morningside home back in the early 1970s.
"The dirt was for my backyard garden," he said. "Sifting through the dirt, I saw something shiny and it turned out to be ID tags."
Kay knew that the gold, oval-shaped tags must've belonged to World War II-era serviceman.
"I was in the Korean War but my two older brothers fought in WWII," the now 91-year-old Kay explained. "So, I knew a thing or two about dog tags."
However, he didn't know how to reach D.W. Tooker's family in order to return the long-lost property.
On the lookout for D.W. Tooker
That is until Loni Kuhlmann, executive director of Woodbury County's Department of Veterans Affairs, entered the picture.
"A while back, Alvin brought in the tags to show my associate Lisa Robinson and myself," she said. "Alvin wanted to see if we could help him track down Mr. Tooker's family, so he could return them."
Kuhlmann recognized that the tags weren't worn around a servicemember's neck.
"No, these were boot tags," she explained. "You can tell by the two eyelets that could be attached to somebody's boots."
Solving a decades-old mystery
"I figured if anybody could solve this mystery, I knew the VA could," Kay reasoned. "They had access to information a regular person wouldn't have."
Kuhlmann mostly relied on Facebook and Ancestry.com for her search.
"We knew that there was a Merrill, Iowa resident named Dwight Warren Tooker who joined the U.S. Navy in 1941," Kuhlmann said. "Through Ancestry.com, we uncovered an obituary for Mr. Tooker's widow Dorothy." "Looking at names of survivors,I then contacted Dwight and Dorothy's daughter on my personal Facebook page."Mary Anne Tooker Darrow received Kuhlmann’s message with surprise about her dad’s ID discovery after many years:The V.A office told me that Mr.Kay wanted to return my dad’s old tag,”Darrow explained.”When Mr.Kay contacted me ,I told him he was an angel.That’s because i knew nothing off my dad’s war year .”
A farm boy from Merrill,Iowa
Tooker left navy honorably discharged post-war experiencing PTSD thereafter:
Dad served five years which long time apparently seeing lots action,Darrow stated.Tooker left USNavy honorable discharge 1946..But according daughter experienced PTSD many year later.The life after war
The war simply closed chapter father life Darrow mentioned.Never discussed never looked back.Instead met married former Dorothy Annabelle Rath eventually left Northwest Iowa moving Oklahoma originally from.The tookers raised four sons three daughters including darrow living house three bedrooms one bathroom seven kids chuckled interesting still happy family.Tookers worked various jobs;Dwight railroad orderly hospital parks department Oklahoma city loved working outdoors maintaining historic Will Rogers Garden.Dorothy longtime nursing assistant returning school age forty-two licensed practical nurse.Darrow herself retired surgical nurse aged seventy following mother footsteps.When Dwight died2001 nearly fifty married.
A connection between strangers
Kays’ marriage parallels tookers’;Holstein native wed highschool sweetheart Donna Rae Green1954 lasting68years till death2023.Worked IPS(MidAmerican Energy)thirty wife JC Penney fifteen.Children Keith(deceased birth),Shari(deceased decade ago),Kevin(Bronson resident),Sandy(Sioux City).Despite lack wartime discussion understood significance dogtag keeping dresser knowing rightful hands eventually found soon mailing Mary Anne Darrow possession alongside American flag honoring military service.
I think that's why I kept ID tag dresser such long time,”he said.”Knew they’d get right hand eventually.”Soon,long-lost boot belonging Dwight Warren mail daughter keep.Darrow appreciation evident:I can't help but think this is my dad way saying wanted us have it".Keeping memories alive
.After all,Darrow never been Iowa born Kansas siblings Oklahoma nowadays lives hour north Atlanta Georgia far Sioux City felt connection kay Military service meant something people dads generation mrs kays got lives mattered kay simply doing right thing not getting younger ensuring tookers id made way back family chance renewal. It has been about year-and-a-half since donna passed away husband misses dearly.My Dad loves grow vegetable backyard garden,daughter sandy schmeckpeper added.Mom always can whatever grew season.Mary Anne couldn’t smile hearing Both parents depression-era conservative money like gardener.I don’t know how ids turned pile dirt thanked god good hand alvin kay.P/>