Dog Tags Bring Memories of Dad Home

Mike Healy of Cedar Rapids was only 9 years old when he said goodbye to his father, who was later presumed dead when his B-24 bomber disappeared near the island of Kapingamarangi in the South Pacific on March 9, 1944.

As he grew up in Chicago, Mike wasn't particularly close to his father, Edward Brennan Healy (left), who was an alcoholic. But, he was Mike's father.

Like any child, Mike (right) wanted to be able to look up to dad. Mike had the mis-perception that if his father died during the war, he would become somebody, a hero.

When word came that Edward Healy was missing in action, Mike thought his wish had led to his father's death. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

Of course, it didn't.

But Mike stuttered for decades, a result he says of post traumatic stress syndrome. He went on to become a school psychologist and became better able to understand his childhood which included four years in orphanages before the family of eight children was returned to their mother, Anne.

Mike also already considered his father a war hero because he was on his 67th mission when the plane went missing and was never heard from or seen again. And dad had received numerous commendations including a Distinguished Flying Cross, a Presidential Unit Citation and a Purple Heart.

Earlier this month, however, the return of Edward Brennan Healy's World War II dog tag, discovered at Munda, New Guinea, gave him closure.

Shane Elliott, a merchant marine from Washington State who works with MIA families, sent the dog tag to Mike's brother, Joel, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Joel called Mike to tell him about it.

"It's remarkable," Mike says. "When my brother told me he had this, I started crying. My brother did, too."

Joel will display the dog tag along with their father's medals that were reissued some years ago.

In e-mails forwarded to me, here's how the return of the dog tag transpired.

First, here's an e-mail from brother Joel to the family:

I am giving you a heads up on the next two emails that I will send to all of you. Jon received a call from someone who claimed to have found dad's Dog Tag on an island in the Solomon chain. Jon sent that persons name to me and I called him. We spoke for well over an hour  and his story is accurate. The information surrounding the find is detailed in his e-mail #1 & #2. They will be sent to you in that order. Shane Elliott (with whom I spoke) is a dedicated (part time) military historian who works closely with others in that pursuit. He will be forwarding the Tag to me and I plan on placing it in the frame holding his medals, etc. Mike, if you would rather have it, as the older brother I will defer to you. Let me know.

Anyway, its interesting how something like that can ultimately find its way back to the family after sixty five years.  Particularly, with a local native who happened to find it near the air strip and held onto it. That Mr. Elliott should happen to see him with the chain holding five Dog Tags and one of them belonging to Dad is rather extraordinary. Anyway, standby for the emails.

And here's that first e-mail from Shane Elliott:

Hello Joel and the Healy family,

Edward Healy's dog tag was in the possession of a local Solomon Islander "Graham Sale" who works at the Goldie Hospital in Munda. I seen this tag on a key chain with5 other dog tags (they were US Army style). I asked Graham if I could write down the names of the men on the dog tags and check their names out online. I saw online and verified with another historian, that your fathers dog tag was a MIA dog tag and therefore offered to compensate Graham (a Solomon Island custom) for the tag, so I could "try" and return it to the family here in the United States.

Graham told me that he found the dog tag some time ago up in the hills right next to the Munda airfield (one can see this area on Google Earth), as I mentioned on our phone call, the hills next to the airstrip was the area where the area crew(s) would live in tents and buildings. Dog tags are often found around the Munda area, they are the results of lost tags in battle, or simply men that may have lost, or misplaced their tags- most veterans know the beaded chain was not very durable.

In my two recent travels (2008/2009) to the Munda area I have encountered several locals with dog tags (US Army, USN & USMC). I always offer to compensate the locals for the dog tags, so I can try to return them to the families here in the USA. I also inform the locals in the Solomons that "I will not accept any compensation for myself, or them- from the families here in the USA". My goal is to return the dog tags to the families and "thank them" for the veterans service to our country.

I work out at sea as a Merchant Marine for long periods of time, so sometimes it takes me a long while (if ever), to locate the family members and try to return the tag....you can read some other returns I have been fortunate enough to do by searching Google or Yahoo search: "Shane Elliott dog tags" or "Shane Elliott Solomons"

I also look into wrecked planes in the Solomons, in 2008 I located a B-24 Bomber and a B-17 Bomber over on Rendova Island. You can see these listed over on pacificwrecks.com and search Shane Elliott.

There are over 72,000 US Military MIA from WW-II, our government estimates that maybe up to 35,000 are "recoverable", but due to budget constraints they recover around "7" per month on average from "all" wars.

Edward Healys dog tag is the WW-II style of USN and USMC dog tags and made from Stainless Steel, I attached the same dog tag photo to help comparison:

Line #1: his first name: EDWARD

L2-  his middle name: BRENNAN

L3-  his  surname/family name: HEALY

L4-  serial number: 724-58-95

L5-  date of tetanus shot and blood type: "O" (they did not use negative, or positive back then)

L6- branch of service: USNR

There was no real uniformity with US dog tags, so often I find some subtle differences in different ones. On most US Navy dog tags, the middle and surname would be on the Line 2 for instance- many (but not all) will/would also list a/an:  "C", "P", or "H" for religion (Catholic/Protestant, or Hebrew).

The US Army tags in WW-II would usually list next of kin and address, the USN/USMC -did not list next of kin-, or address and that makes them much more difficult to return.

I reckon Edward probably lost this dog tag in the Mundaarea, and it has nothing to do with his MIA status in air operations elsewhere, as it was found in the Munda base area. I will send more information shortly.

Regards- Shane Elliott

And here is the last part of Mr. Elliott's latest e-mail from May 22, 2010:

Prior to getting in contact with your family (about a week before), I called the Chicago Tribune because I saw the obituary about Mrs. Healy (Anne) in their past archives. I left a message for a Mr. Steve Schmadeke about that article, and if they could be of help in locating/doing a story to locate your family as to return the dog tag.

Steve called back and said he would run it by his editor. As I never heard back I imagine the editor decided against any story. I do suggest to the families to contact the paper (if they so desire), as the stories of our fighting men who are still MIA should not be forgotten. With Memorial Day coming up, this is a time people here in America should be reminded of the sacrifices families such as yours had to shoulder over the many years. I always respect the family's decsions in any matter pertaining to the media and somes request for privacy.

I do not live in anyone's hometowns with these returns, so I always tell the families it is not about myself etc., but it is about the veteran who is still MIA to this day. Again, with Memorial Day coming up I would like to close with the words I tell all veterans families: "Thank you for your father's service to our country".

Regards & Semper Fi-

Shane Elliott