More than 80 years after two Allied soldiers exchanged dog tags while imprisoned during World War II, their families reunited in Jacksboro to fulfill a promise neither veteran lived to keep.⁠ ⁠ Australian soldier Mervyn McCready and Jack County's Garth Oliver became prisoners of war after the fall of Java in 1942. During their years in captivity, the two men formed a friendship so strong that McCready gave Oliver one of his dog tags as a symbol of their bond.⁠ ⁠ This week, McCready's grandson traveled from Australia to return the tag to Oliver's family.⁠ ⁠ The ceremony also honored a larger piece of North Texas history. Speakers noted that 63 young men from Jack County served in Battery F of the 131st Field Artillery Regiment, part of the famed Lost Battalion during World War II.⁠ ⁠ Read more at the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ #WWII #TexasHistory #Jacksboro #LostBattalion #Veterans #MilitaryHistory #NorthTexas