Vietnam vet reunited with special ring he lost in Lake Delhi - KWWL.com

A Vietnam veteran has regained a special ring he lost at Lake Delhi 41 years ago.

John Jones had a gold ring made to commemorate his service in Vietnam. It included his initials and Social Security number, which also served as his Army serial number.

He lost it in 1971 while swimming at Lake Delhi. "And I thought, oh my golly, I'll never see it again now. I tried to get it, but it was too late," Jones said. "It's like losing a long-lost friend or something. You know. That's the way I felt."

When Lake Delhi's dam broke in 2010, collectors using metal detectors scoured the lake bottom. One of them, Steve Gola, from Grayslake, Ill., found Jones' ring. "Right away I thought, 'Wow, I could probably get this ring back to this guy. Wouldn't that be cool?'" said Gola.

After two years, Gola finally returned the ring to Jones during a Veterans Day event at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines.