A forgotten piece of history

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110925/LIVING/709259968#a-forgotten-piece-of-history

Published Sunday September 25, 2011

By Christopher Burbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Photo: http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=OW&Date=20110925&Category=LIVING&ArtNo=709259968&Ref=AR&maxw=600&maxh=400
While preparing to tear down the old Weston's Bar at 21st and Cuming Street, Creighton building services employee Ken Juhl went through the building one last time, to see if anything had been left behind. He found a WWII-era U.S. Army overcoat that may have been separated from its owner in 1946. The soldier's initials and serial number were inside. Juhl decided to track down the soldier, Roy McNealy, and return his coat. He had died, but they found his family in a small town Missouri, and gave the coat to his widow, Marie.


Kenny Juhl climbed the stairs into the hot, dark attic of a vacant building near downtown Omaha.

The structure at 21st and Cuming Streets was about to be demolished as part of future Creighton University development.

Juhl, who works in construction management for Creighton, was taking a final walk-through before crews began to tear out asbestos and lead. He wanted to check for anything worth saving.

As it turned out, something valuable lingered.

Juhl shined a flashlight over boxes and other junk as he stepped across the creaky floor. He rounded a corner.

He stopped the flashlight beam on a long, dark object against a wall: a men's woolen overcoat, hung on a nail.

FULL story & more photos at link.

[begin_within]

1. That's cool

I like these stories about reuniting people who haven't seen each other in decades, or reuniting a person with a possession that may have a lot of meaning to them because of the memories attached. Just yesterday we celebrated my Mom's 93rd birthday and several people came here who had not seen each other in decades, so it turned out to be a reunion of sorts as well. We also looked at old pictures and I got out my Mom's hat from when she was in the Marines in WWII.

[DURHAM D]

2. That is a great story.

However, it says he enlisted in 1946 and served during WWII. I guess it is a typo.

[area51]

3. Or an alternate universe.

Kidding.

[Frosty1]

4. When my Dad died

I donated his uniform and hat to our local historical society.