Updated

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

Des Moines television station KCCI reports that John Jones served in what was South Vietnam during parts of 1968 and 1969. He then had a gold ring made that 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.

When the lake's dam broke in 2010, collectors using metal detectors scoured the lake bottom. One of them, Steve Gola, from Grayslake, Ill., found Jones' ring.

It took a couple of years to locate Jones, but Gola finally was able to return the ring to him during a Veterans Day event at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines.