In a heartwarming ceremony, the family of Private Garth Oliver of Jacksboro, Texas, was reunited with a WWII dog tag that had been exchanged between Oliver and Australian soldier Corporal Mervyn McCready during their time as prisoners of war.
A Symbol of Friendship and Sacrifice
The dog tag, which had been kept by McCready’s family for over 80 years, was returned to Oliver’s family in a ceremony that honored the commitment made by the two soldiers. The tag is a symbol of the strong bond that formed between the two men during their time in captivity, and it represents the sacrifices they made for their countries and for each other.
McCready and Oliver met while fighting Japanese forces in Java before becoming prisoners of war following the Allied surrender in 1942. They spent roughly three years in captivity, first in POW camps and later performing forced labor on the Thai-Burma Railway, often called the “Death Railway.”
During their time in captivity, McCready gave Oliver one of his dog tags as a token of their friendship and gratitude. The tag was kept by Oliver’s family for many years, and it was finally returned to them in the ceremony.
A Family’s Appreciation
For Oliver’s family, the return of the dog tag offered a rare opportunity to understand a man whose wartime experiences were known mostly through stories passed down through generations. “It gives me an appreciation or an understanding of my namesake,” said Garth Oliver, the veteran’s nephew and namesake. “You get more of a glimpse of the man he was and the difference that he made in the world.”
The ceremony was attended by local officials, including Jack County Judge Brian Keith Humphreys, who formally proclaimed June 10, 2026, as “Lost Battalion Brotherhood Day” in Jack County. The proclamation recognized the extraordinary friendship between the two soldiers and the generations that carried their story forward.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
