Sister Reunited with Brother’s Dog Tag More than 70 Years after his Death

In late May, an Italian couple from Rome arrived at the Visitor Center at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery with a request. They had discovered a  World War II dog tag belonging to an American soldier by the name of Jerry J. Osterhouse. Discovered in a wooded area in Nettuno not far from the cemetery, the couple hoped the staff would be able to connect them with Osterhouse’s family so the dog tag could be returned. While not a typical request  received at ABMC, Interpretive Guide Veronica Stasio took on the task of tracking down Osterhouse’s family.

After some research, she found Jerry’s sister, Geraldine, and contacted her via phone. Shocked by this discovery decades later, Geraldine explained that her brother lost his life on May 28, 1944 while assisting a medic giving first aid to a wounded soldier.  The date of Jerry’s death astounded Stasio — it was exactly 72 years later that the couple found his dog tag on May 28, 2016. In hearing this, Geraldine said it was “a miracle meant to be.”

Jerry was buried in the temporary cemetery in Nettuno, and then repatriated to the United States for permanent burial. Geraldine recounted that every Memorial Day and 4th of July their mother flew the large American flag that had draped his coffin. Now, through the kindness of strangers, Geraldine has one more connection to her older brother.