THE WOODLANDS, Texas — The Boerstler family in The Woodlands was reunited with a special bracelet on Sunday.
The sterling silver bracelet, engraved with the name Leslie H. Boerstler, had been lost overseas for 78 years. Leslie was a 1st Lieutenant and a World War II hero who served in combat operations in France pushing back the Nazis. He lost the bracelet in battle back in 1945.
It was found in a foxhole in France by historians back in 2014 and it took them 9 years to track down his family. With the help of U.S. Army veteran Zachariah Fike, the bracelet was hand-delivered to Leslie's daughter on Sunday.
"Look at that! Wow," his daughter, Joanne Boerstler Noack said. "My mother gave it to him as a wedding gift. They were married before he took off for Europe."
Joanne said she plans to get it cleaned up and wear it for some time before gifting it to her grandson in the future. Leslie passed away in 2011.
"To see Joanne put that bracelet on her wrist, it's like her dad giving her a hug 78 years later," Fike said. "It makes all the effort worthwhile while and I'm so happy to see the family's emotions today."
"It's just amazing to have another little piece of my dad," Joanne said.