WWII Dog Tags Given to Grandson Were Lost in Ocean Off NJ — But Returned 7 Years Later

A World War II veteran grandfather passed along his dog tags as a keepsake to his grandson, a priceless and irreplaceable gift.

It's easy to understand that grandson's devastation when those same dog tags were lost at sea seven years ago, and thought to be gone forever.

That is, until one of his brothers got a message on social media.

The U.S. Army dog tags date back to 1943, and were worn proudly by Melville Steinberg, who became a decorated veteran. He served under General George Patton as an engineer in the Army — and remembered everything.

“Where he was, what cities, what he was doing, what he was building — at 100 years old," said grandson Scott Steinberg. "For a small man he was larger than life, smart as a whip."

"We’d go to the casino four or five days a week to play poker. Just an amazing man until the day he died," said his son, Jeff Steinberg.

As Poppy grew older, the dog tags passed from the Greatest Generation to the next, and then the next: his grandsons.

“I had the crucifix from my grandma and he gave us the dog tags right after college 2009-2010. I used to wear them every day," Scott said.

Scott was wearing them in August 2015 when he dove off a friend's boat docked at F-Cove in Brick Township. The tags flew off his neck into waters, 75 feet deep.

“I always joked he lived way through WWII with his dog tags, and I lost them in F-cove. I was pretty upset," said Scott.

He and his friends searched for hours, hired a professional dive team with no luck. But two weeks later, Shellann Coughlin spotted something on the beach eight miles south, in Manasquan.

"Wrapped around a Jack Daniels bottle flipped upside down, stuffed in the sand," according to Scott.

From a military family herself, Coughlin spent seven years off-and-on looking for the Steinbergs. She kept the tags safe in a box, hoping to find the owner someday.

In the meantime, Poppy died in Feb. 2020, at the age of 103.

"Last week before Father’s Day, her daughter sees the box and said let's give it another shot," Scott said of Coughlin and her family.

They spotted Steinberg’s obituary and tracked down Scott's brother Brett on social media.

"My brother had the other dog tags, she asked for the serial number — they matched up," said Scott. He and Coughlin posed for a picture after getting the tags back, and the tears had dried.

"I’m very thankful, thankful to her for being persistent and track us down," said Scott.

He put the tags and the photo in a card for his dad, which he gave on Father’s Day.

"I saw the picture, and I didn't know who she was, but I saw something dangling," Jeff said, battling back tears. "It was unbelievable. I’m gonna cry now. It was part of my father, and being that it was lost, he was so upset."

The missing link: How the dog tags got to Manasquan from Brick, and who put them there. That’s what the family would really love to know.

"How it got from A to B is a dilemma, but he’s got it now, he’s not taking it off," Jeff said.

Anyone with information as to how the dog tags found their way to the beach in Manasquan, let us know! Email us at tips@nbcnewyork.com.