UPDATE (9/7/19): Charles' daughter Jordan tells Newswatch 16 someone turned in the tag to Lowe's.
(Original story)
SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- "It's part of me. I've had it forever and ever and ever."
Charles Backes is talking about the dog tag he was issued when he joined the United States Navy. He accidentally left it in the electrical department at the Lowes in Selinsgrove.
"It's something he treasures. He really values it. He's pretty bent out of a shape about it, to put it lightly," said Jordan Backes, Charles' daughter.
Charles was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy. He served from 1967 to 1991. He was issued the dog tag in July of 1967 during boot camp.
"And I've carried them pretty much ever since. Like I said it's just part of you. You carry it like Mother Nature gives you two hands and a nose," said Backes.
Charles and Jordan did call the store to let them know the tag had been lost. But so far, nothing has been turned in.
For Charles, the dog tag brings back memories of his service.
"Everything from when I was a rookie in the Navy on a destroyer from shore bombardment off the coast of Vietnam to following aircraft carriers up on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin to riding through typhoons in the Western Pacific," said Backes.
It's not only a source of pride for Charles but for his daughter Jordan too.
"Since I was a little kid he's always told me stories about him in the Navy and his experiences, both funny and serious. I'll be honest, I brag to a lot of people that my dad was a chief in the Navy," said Jordan.
Jordan saw on Newswatch 16 how Paula Morales from Sunbury found the necklace with her son's ashes in it after losing it at Knoebel's Amusement Resort so she's hopeful that her father will find similar fortune.
The dog tag has Charles' first initial and his last name, Backes, on it. If you see it, Charles and Jordan ask that you either return it to Lowes or contact them at 570-495-0737.