William Sapp, a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War, discovered over a dozen military dog tags near the old Kansas City dump site along the Missouri River. As an avid explorer, Sapp had collected many treasures throughout the years, but none as priceless as these forgotten mementos of the past. In early 2023, Bill Sapp, his friend and comrade David Owen and Sue Quinn-Morris of Patriot Connections Dog Tag Project embarked on the journey to get all the military dog tags home to the veterans and/or their families

In a heartwarming twist of fate, a treasured military dog tag once belonging to WWII veteran Claude A Link found its way back to his family.

RESEARCH: Through research, including numerous sources, the story of Claude Link began to come to life.

Claude A Link was born in Independence, MO on December 14, 1925.  He was a WWII Navy veteran having served in the South Pacific. He married Cora Belle Link and had 4 children. He was a lab chemist with Amoco Oil Company for 41 years, retiring in 1982. He died on September 16, 1999, in his hometown at the age of 73, and was buried at Salem Cemetery in Independence, MO.

His wife, Cora, passed away in 2017. His son Mark passed away in 2012. His son Jeff and daughter Claudia  both passed away in 2019.  Surviving is his son Fred Link.

DOG TAG RETURN: Quinn-Morris located contact information for son Fred in Missouri and passed along to Dave Owen.

David decided to hand deliver this dog tag to the son of Claud Link, who lived close by. After repeated unanswered knocks, he approached a neighbor who was outside watching him. She was very emotional after he explained his mission. After another knock on the Link's door, Mrs Link came out and Dave explained his reason for the visit. With dog tag in hand, he presented it to Mrs Link, who was overcome with emotion and very grateful.  She indicated she was going to surprise her husband with it once he got home. 

For details about this Dog Tag Collection, click here