Monday, September 3, 2012

Dog Tags, Ribbons & Pins.


Jule Steunenberg Memorial Page.
Click on the above to view more information about Jule on my FOLD3 account.

I have posted on the blog before about my Uncle Jule "Juke" Steuneneberg—one of my mother Brenda's three brothers. Please click on the link and read the story as it will give you the background information to better understand the discovery of these items.
Click above to enlarge.
This was a completely unexpected find at the home of my mother and father—as these items have never been seen before that I am aware of. As we were going through things at the house, my wife Cindy found a small box and came immediately to show me what was in it. I was flabbergasted to say the least! Of the twenty airman that disappeared that day in 1946, ten in each B-17G, four bodies were recovered—one being Jule. It makes sense that the dog tags came back with his remains and would have been returned to my grandparents, Francis and Julian Steunenberg. However, I was never aware of their existence, much less the additional ribbons and pins. I am guessing that a few other items may be missing, either lost over the years or as a result of the collision of the B-17's—with all major wreckage having immediately sunk to the bottom of the ocean. To have these surface some 66 years later is quite amazing.

I will be posting more about these items and additional photographs of my three uncles from their tenures in the military. I have started to research the above items but if you are knowledgeable and have more information please email me.

Sorry if any typos as I was rushing a bit to get this one posted.

1 comment:

  1. What an incredible find and story. I have one ancestor who died during after sustaining wounds in a battle in the civil war. I can't imagine the pain felt by the families.

    Regards, Jim
    Genealogy Blog at Hidden Genealogy Nuggets

    ReplyDelete