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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 14, 2006 A German farmer found and returned Glen Payne�s dog tag, which he lost during World War II. Payne will temporarily hand the dog tag back for a special ceremony this week where local veterans will receive medals. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Dog tag returned 60 years later By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune A military dog tag Medford resident Glen F. Payne lost in Germany during World War II has been returned. But it took more than 60 years and a circuitous route, from a potato patch along the Rhine River to the Rogue Valley. "It sure surprised me to get it back," said Payne, now 84, who will officially receive the tag during a ceremony Thursday morning at the Jackson County Veterans Service Office in Medford. "We were issued two tags — I can’t remember where I lost them," he added. Advertisement But he allows he was a bit busy at the time. A platoon leader in the 80th Infantry Division, Payne, who was given a battlefield commission from sergeant to second lieutenant, fought his way from Normandy through Belgium into the heart of Germany during 18 months of combat. He received several medals, including a Bronze Star for valor when his unit was punching through the Siegfried Line in western Germany. A lost dog tag along the way didn’t mean much to the ground pounder. "He has never talked about what he did over there," said his son, Joseph Payne. "He saw his men blown up beside him and senseless killings. It wasn’t anything he was proud of. He just did his service and came home." Home at the time was Biggs, a small community near The Dalles. He raised a family and worked at several jobs, including gas station operator, Greyhound bus driver, log truck driver and cement contractor. He retired last year. It was last year when he, at his son’s urging, asked the local Jackson County Veterans Service Office if he could have his lost medals replaced. "When we applied to have his medals reissued, that’s when we found out his dog tag was there," his son said of the local office’s request to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Mo. Because his records were apparently among those that had burned years ago at the center, the staff there was unable to track down the owner of the dog tag, said Marty Kimmel, veterans service officer for Jackson County. The inquiry about his medals made the connection, she noted. The thin piece of metal was originally found when German potato farmer Theo Weber was plowing his field near Bitburg on May 30, 1981, according to a letter sent from the German Red Cross to the American Red Cross. Wiping the dirt off, Weber determined it was a U.S. Army dog tag. In addition to Payne’s name and military identification number, the military ID tag also included his blood type — O — and his religion — P for Protestant. After a few years, the farmer apparently turned the dog tag over to the German Red Cross who then forwarded it to the American Red Cross. An April 15, 1994, letter from the American Red Cross to the center in St. Louis contained the dog tag and a short explanation. Payne, who landed on Utah Beach on July 1, 1944, doesn’t recall being in Bitburg. But a map of his unit’s campaign indicates it fought its way through France and Belgium into Germany, crossing the Rhine at Bitburg and marching on through Frankfurt and Munich. He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor early in 1945. "While assaulting the Siegfried Line on Feb. 8, 1945, heavy sniper action harassed the company in which Lt. Payne served," the citation reads. "Leading a party of six men, Lt. Payne purposefully exposed himself in order to draw fire and thus located the snipers." Two days later he was cited for leading new reinforcements forward to strengthen the company’s flank, it read. "Lt. Payne’s courage, leadership and sincere devotion to duty exemplify the armed forces of the United States," it concluded. The combat veteran shrugs off the citation for heroism, although he notes he did have a shrapnel wound to his right hand. "Just enough to draw blood," he said. He left Europe on Dec. 30, 1945, receiving his discharge on Feb. 26, 1946. The family intends to frame the dog tag along with his medals, his son said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at Dog tag returned 60 years later ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement