WWII veteran's lost bracelet returns to rightful family in The Woodlands ceremony

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (KTRK) -- A missing bracelet that belonged to a World War II veteran was returned to his family Sunday afternoon in a backyard ceremony in The Woodlands.

Prior to the lost bracelet, Lieutenant Leslie Harry Boerstler served in the United States Army and was in France when he lost the jewelry.

Boerstler died in 2011, so his daughter, Joanne Boerstler Noack, received the bracelet in his honor.

"I'm going to say my mother gave it to him as a wedding gift because they were married just a few weeks before he took off," Joanne said. "It's just amazing to have another little piece of my dad."

Army historian Zachariah Fike said it was discovered in a foxhole by two French military historians in 2014, and that he recently helped them find the Boerstlers.

One of those historians, as well as Fike, attended Sunday's event.

"I'm just in awe of everything today," Joanne said. "It's just amazing that people care that much to try to return things."

She said she plans to wear the bracelet for a little while before giving it to her grandson.

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