History – Army dog tags mystery solved

Every so often, an item finds its way into a museum collection that, for some reason, simply doesn’t belong. Since 2010, a set of U.S. Army dog tags labelled Joseph S Coco sat quietly on a shelf, a mystery waiting to be solved. Over the years, three curators tried to return them. So let’s uncover the story of Joseph Coco – who he was, how his dog tags came to be left in New Zealand in 1945, and the remarkable journey they took home.

Joseph Salvatore Coco was born in Sicily more than a century ago. His parents, dreaming of a brighter future, journeyed to Palermo, where they boarded the Giuseppe Verdi. After 18 days at sea, they arrived at Ellis Island, ready to embrace a new life in Hartford, Connecticut.

Joseph quickly learned the value of hard work, shining shoes and delivering newspapers. Determined, he graduated from Hartford High School in 1940. Soon, he became his own boss, running a newsstand at Market and State Streets. But in May 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army.

While awaiting deployment, Joseph worked at Underwood Typewriters, making gun barrels for the war effort. Around this time, he met his future wife, but their love was to be tested by distance as he was sent for training in Georgia and California. Fluent in Italian, Joseph hoped to serve in Italy, but fate sent him to the Pacific instead.

Alongside 15,000 troops, he sailed to Caledonia Island before transferring to Aitape, New Guinea, and then the Philippines. As part of the 103rd Infantry Regiment, 43rd Infantry Division, Joseph fought in the battle for Ipo Dam, a crucial water source for Manila. One day, while driving Colonel Eleland across a bridge, Joseph and his party were ambushed. Reacting swiftly, he fired 15 rounds with an M1 Carbine, earning the Bronze Star for valour.

After the intense battles of the Pacific, Joseph was sent to New Zealand for rehabilitation, at Kaipara Flats. He described his time there as “heaven”, forming fond memories of the town and its people. After leaving NZ, his unit joined the occupation forces in Japan and in October 1945, Joseph was discharged and returned home to Hartford.

Back in familiar territory, he rebuilt his future – marrying, fathering six children, and reclaiming his newsstand. Expanding his ventures, he opened a bookshop managed by his sister, later ran a grinding store, and eventually moved to Georgia, where he owned a parking lot. After a chance conversation, he trained as a stockbroker, working for major Connecticut firms until retirement.

In 2010, Albertland Museum curator Tony Moore contacted Joseph Coco’s family. At 88, Joseph couldn’t recall how he had lost his dog tags or how they ended up with the Steventon family, but insisted that these originals belonged at the Albertland Heritage Museum.

Then, last December, the unexpected happened. A tour guide called on behalf of two sisters, Sherry and Nannette Coco. They had just learned of the dog tags and were eager to visit the museum. Little did they know that a surprise awaited them.

In just four days, we gathered a small but meaningful group – our current curators, former curator Peter Marsh, Pauline Stables (who had assisted Tony Moore), and Terry and Shirley Blakemore, from the Wellsford Returned Services Association. When Sherry and Nannette arrived, chair Clare Joensen reflected on young Joseph Coco and the meaning of these dog tags. She ended with a belief deeply held in Aotearoa: Taonga always finds its way home.

At last, the moment arrived. With great reverence, Terry Blakemore stepped forward and presented the dog tags to Sherry and Nannette. The room held its breath. Overwhelmed, the sisters accepted them, their emotions mirrored by all present. After years of waiting, the tags had finally found their way home.