Lost For 25 Years, Dog Tags Returned To Ypsilanti Soldier

PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A 45-year-old Adrian woman has returned a set of military dog tags she found while geocaching to its owner after finding his family in Ypsilanti.

Kelley Piekarek tells the Detroit Free Press she found the dog tags hanging from a tree early last month, while she was on a tech-driven treasure hunt in a wooded area near the University of Michigan. She says she began searching for Raymond C. Morin, the soldier whose name is on the tags, when she returned home.

After several failed attempts to find the man, Piekarek says she discovered a listing in Ypsilanti for Henry Morin. She says his wife answered the phone and confirmed the dog tags belong to their 52-year-old son.

The Morins told Piekarek that their son likely lost the dog tags while walking through the woods 25 years ago.

Piekarek met with Raymond Morin and returned the dog tags late last month.

"I didn't think I'd ever get them back. It means quite a bit. I'm just glad I've got them back," Morin said.

Morin was honorably discharged from the Army in 1979. Around that time, he began to show signs of schizophrenia. According to Morin's parents, he would often go for long walks in the woods. Morin says he remembers setting the dog tags on one of those walks, but could not remember where he had placed them exactly.

After returning the tags, Piekarek said she feels her mission is complete, "I found Raymond, I've told his story, and I couldn't ask for a better outcome."

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting that involves locating by using GPS more than 2.5 million treasures also known as caches.
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