It took but a pause for Camillus resident Dave Mason to put two and two together after reading this week about a Vietnam War veteran from Cortland whose remains will finally be put to rest. Mason still keeps a POW-MIA bracelet he bought in the mid-1980s. The bracelet bears the name of Army 1st Class Sgt. Douglas J. Glover, the...
It took but a pause for Camillus resident Dave Mason to put two and two together after reading this week about a Vietnam War veteran from Cortland whose remains will finally be put to rest.
Mason still keeps a POW-MIA bracelet he bought in the mid-1980s. The bracelet bears the name of Army 1st Class Sgt. Douglas J. Glover, the same Cortland veteran who was apparently killed and disappeared 42 years ago in Laos.
“As soon as I heard the name I immediately recognized it,’’ said Mason, a sergeant at the Onondaga County sheriff’s department.
Sgt. Glover was a special forces Green Beret whose helicopter was shot down during a rescue mission on Feb. 19, 1968.
Last week, the military and Glover’s adult son, John Michael Glover, revealed that Sgt. Glover’s remains had been positively identified through dental records. His family would like to bury him at Arlington National Cemetery in the spring.
Mason, 45, said he wore the bracelet for several years while serving in the Army and National Guard. Now he plans to send it to Mike Glover along with a letter of appreciation for the sacrifice his family and father made.
“His dad is coming home so I thought the bracelet should go home too,’’ Mason said.
Glover, who lives in Cortland, said he appreciates the gesture. He wears a POW-MIA bracelet with his father’s name on it and has another one that someone sent to him years ago.
Mason is one of two Syracuse-area residents who have bracelets with Sgt. Glover’s name. The other man declined to be interviewed for this story.
Mason, who spoke to Glover this week, said he felt a sense of closure after learning that Sgt. Glover’s remains had been identified and will be buried at Arlington.
“Basically, it means one of our warriors is coming home from a long fought battle,’’ Mason said.
You can reach Scott Rapp at srapp@syracuse.com or 289-4839