Veteran's World War II uniform discovered in attic, returned to widow
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A homeowner in Arizona made a surprising discovery just before he renovated his house -- inside the attic was a bag holding a pristine-looking World War II uniform, the buttons still shining.
The man knew he had to track down the veteran's family, Fox 10 reported Monday.
The soldier's name -- Thomas Wilson, Jr. -- was printed on the green bag. It also contained magazines from the era, Dutch wooden shoes, a photo and an old checkbook.
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Wilson died in 2012. Family members reportedly sold the home in Arcadia the next year, but in the complicated moving process, they left the bag behind.
It took a little time, but the unnamed homeowner and his realtor tracked down Wilson's surviving relatives, including his 96-year-old widow, Fox 10 added.
"Big surprise... I knew what they were, but it had been so long since I had seen anything like that," the soldier's wife, Delma, responded.
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Relatives say Wilson managed a team of black soldiers who drove ambulances rushing the wounded to hospitals. They said he wrote a memoir so future generations would know his story.
The veteran's family had owned the home for more than 50 years before selling it. "We were a little astounded to realize we had left something very important in that attic," his daughter, Leah Morse, said.