He keeps a Vietnam War military plaque in a drawer, and 24 years later the mystery is solved: “The search is ending.”

The military dog tag of American soldier Robert L. Thompson, lost during the Vietnam War, will be returned to his family 24 years after being purchased by a tourist at a local market.

The gesture coincides with the 52nd anniversary of Vietnam Veterans Day, a key commemorative date in the United States. The story, which began as a simple curiosity, has evolved into a tribute to memory and the resolution of a small but fascinating mystery.

Vintage US Army dog tag bought at Vietnamese market

It all began in 2001, when a Trentino businessman from Riva del Garda acquired two military dog tags during a trip to a village near Ho Chi Minh City. The tags, belonging to American soldiers, remained stored in a drawer for more than two decades.

It was only recently, upon learning about the work of the research group Aviation Archaeology Trentino Alto Adige, that the businessman decided to hand them over so they could be analyzed and returned to their rightful heirs.

“The search is ending,” says Paolo Parolari, founder of the research group. Thanks to an international collaboration involving archivists, veterans’ committees, and American citizens, the descendants of Robert L. Thompson have been identified. The soldier, also known as “Bobby,” was born on June 4, 1947, and voluntarily enlisted in the United States Air Force at age 20, serving from January 1967 to January 1971.

During that time, Thompson was part of the air units that operated helicopters like the HH-3E “Jolly Green Giant,” essential for rescue and medical evacuation missions. “Helicopters transformed the conflict into a mobile war,” Parolari explains. But they were also extremely vulnerable: of the 12,000 helicopters used by the U.S. in Vietnam, nearly 5,000 were destroyed or shot down. Robert survived the war and was promoted to sergeant before returning home.

A memory that returns home

Sadly, Thompson passed away in July 2010 at the age of 63, after suffering from an illness related to prolonged exposure to chemical agents such as Agent Orange, a substance used during the conflict. Today, he rests in the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in California, where his headstone reads: “Loving husband, father, and grandfather.”

How he lost his plaque in the Vietnamese jungle will always remain a mystery, but the symbol of his service has found its way back. “The important thing is that, after all these years, the plaque can finally return to the hands of his wife, Amelia Agboyani Thompson, bringing with it memories and emotions,” concludes a visibly moved Parolari.

Meanwhile, the second plaque is also close to closing its own chapter: “We are very close to identifying with certainty the descendants of the second soldier and will soon be able to reconstruct his story as well.”

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